SOUTHEAST Asian (SEA) Games veteran Maiquel "Mikee" Jawn Selga, who is also a regular college student and a student pilot, recently started a business during the community quarantine from her family's sheer love for Korean food.
Mikee's Food Hub, which opened in May, was an idea that came about while Davao City was placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) over a month ago.
"It started out when we experienced the difficulty of access to food, especially during the ECQ period. Knowing that, I have some abled friends and family who can help me address the current situation," the 20-year-old 2015 SEA Games wakeboard double bronze medalist said.
She and her father Michael Anthony, an architect by profession, began selling frozen foods. "We kept the price as low as possible so everyone can have access to cheap food. Later, we thought of selling prepared food like Samgak Kimbap with the help of our Korean friend, Riye Park," she said.
Park hails from Yongin, South Korea. Thus, Selga assured, "Our advantage is the authenticity and uniqueness of our Korean foods and snacks." Their bestsellers include the Samgak Kimbap and Bulgogi Smash Burger. Some 500 burgers were sold in one month, she shared. She is excited about the orders they have been receiving since they opened.
She assembles the burger, works as a cashier and is in charge of the social media accounts, which puts to good use her Multimedia Arts learnings at Malayan Colleges Mindanao where she is a second year college student.
She, too, is a pilot student at St. Alexius College Flying School and is learning how to fly a plane for the past three years now.
"Airline pilot po talaga ang dream ko," she said, adding that she will graduate once she completes her required flying hours. They temporarily have online classes while on quarantine due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
With school, athlete's training and her new business, she said, "Very busy napo but I have to manage my time well lang." She still gives time to her workout to stay fit.
Her fellow Filipino SEA Games athletes Mary Joy Tabal and Margielyn Didal of Cebu also started their own respective businesses during lockdown.