MOJICA Melissa

Belt grade
Black belt - I DAN (IJF, 15 Jul 2016)

Preferred techniques
Soto-makikomi (IJF, 06 Jun 2021)

General
FUTURE PLANS
She wants to become a coach after her sporting career is over, and combine it with her nursing career. "I have always liked to pick kids who are on the street and who think that they do not have talent or opportunities. There are many young people living without a goal. And I would like to teach them because judo gives you a life, a guide, and leads to you to a goal." (elvocero.com, 07 May 2020)

OCCUPATION
She has a degree in nursing and chose to remain working during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite having the option of focusing on judo ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "For a professional health worker, the pandemic can be scary but it is also a challenge. If you are only focused on the money then it would be normal to stay at home, but if you have a vocation and people are in need, I would consider it inhuman not to help. If I am a health worker who has the knowledge to help others, it is not a burden." (Comite Olimpico de Puerto Rico YouTube channel, 30 Apr 2020)

DEPRESSION STRUGGLE
She struggled with depression as a teenager and says she tried to commit suicide at around age 17. "It was a difficult moment in my life because I had problems at home and I thought that it would be a solution. When you are a teenager, sometimes you think it is the easiest way. I remember leaving a note but someone saw it earlier and went looking for me. All the difficult things I had to experience, now I say they were necessary because they made me the way I am now." (elvocero.com, 07 May 2020)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as a member of the Puerto Rico High Performance Athletes' Commission. (comisionatletaspr.com, 01 Jan 2019)