Mikalah Skates: On Track to See the World

Mikalah Skates interest in the world has guided her life. Born in California to an Air Force family that moved frequently, she was in middle school when her family settled in Casper in 2007. Skates thought she’d attend college in Virginia, but track coaches at UW had other ideas. They knew about her high school accomplishments as a three-time state champion in the 100-meter hurdles and other athletic achievements. They also knew of her membership in the National Honor Society.

“I really never thought about running track in college,” Skates says. Instead, she was interested in political science and international studies. Fashion merchandising also intrigued her. When she visited the UW campus, she was convinced that running track would be a great idea, especially since UW also offered a study-abroad program.

Skates graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degrees in political science, international studies and French. At the same time, she excelled in both indoor and outdoor track events, receiving conference and scholar-athlete honors.

She was president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, which involved community service activities and improving the student-athlete experience. She was also the Mountain West representative for the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Along the way, she managed a semester abroad, studying in Morocco.

“At times it was challenging,” she says of the dual role of student-athlete. She found the regimentation made it easier to focus on academics. “Between the coaches, the administration and everyone in the Athletics department, the support was unreal,” she says.

Upon graduation, Skates realized her resume was short on relevant career experience, so she landed an internship in Washington, D.C., for U.S. Sen. John Barrasso. Following that, she took a position on U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi’s staff. She provides staff assistance, passes along constituents’ concerns and sets up White House tours.

She expects to stay on the Hill for another year and then in 2020 plans to start law school. She wants to focus on international law and may stay on the East Coast, although Wyoming is a possibility with its program in human rights law.

Skates says she is “100 percent done with competing,” but she sends a huge thank you to UW as a whole. “They want to see student-athletes succeed after sports. I knew I wasn’t going to continue competing, and they really helped me prepare for that day.”