Mia Adriano was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the U.S. in 1985 when she was 18 years old. She came with her family, including her twin sister, Irene. Mia worked full-time while finishing her B.S. in psychology at Cal State University Los Angeles. She worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District for many years before becoming a financial aid counselor at Pasadena City College.

As a lifelong community activist, Mia devoted much of her time and energy to several organizations that represented the Asian Pacific Islander lesbian, gay and bi-sexual communities, including Los Angeles Asian Pacific Islander Sisters (LAAPIS), Lotus, Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Activists (AQWA), and API Equality-LA.

Mia also cared deeply about the environment and actively lived her life to lessen her carbon footprint on earth. She believed in recycling and always said she wanted to be recycled herself, when the time came, so she signed up to be an organ donor when she obtained her driver’s license.

In January 2010, Mia began experiencing migraine headaches. When she finally went to the doctor, she was diagnosed with a blood clot in her brain, possibly an aneurysm. After several unsuccessful surgeries, Mia died on January 25 at the age of 42. Her tissues were donated and one of her tendons went to her twin sister, Irene, to help repair a torn ligament on her right knee. “I am forever grateful for this wonderful gift. A part of Mia will always be in me, growing into my own bone,” said Irene, who will ride on this year’s Donate Life float alongside the portrait of her twin, Mia.