Nicky Sardina

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Nicky

  • Team Role/Function: Runner

  • How did you become a Castaway? A friend from college, Danielle Llarena is involved and introduced me. Vince Llanes also paced me for a two-miler time trial once and he put me in touch with the running crew.

  • Why are you a Castaway? My grandfather passed away from pancreatic and prostate cancer. We were really close when I was little, and his laugh was infectious. I miss him a lot - so this run is in his honor, my maternal grandfather and also my mom who recently and suddenly passed away and had a love for the Keys like no other.

  • What is your "essential gear" to be a good Castaway? I love a good baseball dry fit hat. Great for boating on the weekends and great for running too.

  • My Family: I have been married for 11+ years to my husband, Alex Sardina - a Columbus alum. I have a 7-year-old son, Elijah "Eli" Sardina who is a second grader at St. Timothy and a 5-year-old daughter, Savannah Sardina who is in PreK4. They’re my world

  • Where are you from? Born and raised in Miami. My parents are Cuban but I also have ancestry from Spain and China.

  • Where'd you go to high school? I did my freshmen and sophomore year at Coral Reef and then transferred and graduated from Archbishop Coleman Carroll.

  • Where'd you go to College/Grad School? I did my undergrad at the University of Florida (go Gators!), and both graduate degrees - Masters in Public Health and an Executive MBA in Health Sector Management and Policy - at the University of Miami.

  • Where do you work and what's your role there? I work in strategy and innovation at Sylvester, collaborating closely with the leadership team. I’ve seen firsthand how donations drive our faculty recruitment and research efforts. This is one of the reasons I joined Castaways—to give my running purpose beyond personal growth and contribute to the community. I'm grateful to work alongside such inspiring leaders and a fantastic team at Sylvester.

  • Favorite music/artists: Country - Old Dominion, Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton. And 2000’s Hip Hop and R&B - ALL. OF. IT.

  • Favorite movies/genre: Honestly, in true runner form, I fall asleep during opening credits so I am more into Netflix series and Bravo.

  • Favorite books: So many - I read A LOT. My favorite themes are around family, friendships, and learning about different cultures.

  • Personal Fun Facts: I lived in Rome, Italy.

  • The mission of the Castaways mission is to help fund cancer research and honor those who've fought the fight. How do you (plan to) do that? My network - family, friends, colleagues. I think cancer has unfortunately in some way touched everyone around me.