This Fokai Femme Achiever completely embodies the female warrior spirit! She exhausts her body through swimming, Jiu-Jitsu, Navy training, Ironman, and running a marathon at famous Mt. Everest. She proceeds her mind in her quest to achieve her Master's of Science in Nursing. She has cultivated her spirit as a Rescue swimmer and Air-crewman in the Navy, as well as being a first responder and rescuer in the Haiti earthquake rescue effort. Soonja Tyrell, a 36-year old Woman warrior, has grit that knows no bounds. It would be an injustice to exclude any of her feats.
What is your occupation? Pediatric Nurse
Tell us three things about yourself. I did the Mount Everest Marathon this summer, I am a white belt in jiu jitsu (white belts are real people too 😂), and I am currently in my last year of nurse practitioner school at the University of Texas at Arlington where I will earn a Master's of Science in Nursing upon completion.
How could we all make the world a better place? Be kind, for every person is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Also, leave every place (in the environment) better than you found it.
What is your favorite quote? "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." - Maya Angelou
Guam National team swimmer, Navy rescue swimmer, Nurse, BJJ Practitioner and a marathoner- where do we even begin?! When did you find your knack for accepting and overcoming challenges?
From my parents and my swim coach Ed Ching. They always taught me that I could do anything if I put my mind to it!
How would you sum up your active military career, as a Helicopter flight crewmember and a rescue swimmer? Trials and tribulations, great successes?
The best part of my military career was the friendships I built along the way. I still keep in touch with many of my comrades. Those kinds of relationships are one of a kind! "Sometimes the hardest part was being the only girl...", but the most rewarding was when I had the opportunity to help save many people in Haiti during Operation Earthquake Relief in 2010. I was very fortunate to be a part of that.
Do you find great similarity between your time spent in the service and your career as a nurse?
Yes, attention to detail is something I learned in the service, and I definitely use that in my nursing career. Overlooking one little detail could mean the difference between life and death. The importance of this cannot be overstated in a career where lives are at stake.
From the most mundane to the most crucial, what does a day look like through the eyes of a Nurse?
Every nurse's day can look completely different, depending on where he or she works. For example, an emergency room nurse's day looks entirely different from the day of a nursing home's nurse. However, patient-centered care is central to all nursing. I am currently a pediatric nurse, so my day consists of keeping my tiny patients healthy and happy.
If managing your job of being a kick-ass nurse isn’t enough, you are also an avid Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete. What is it about this sport that drew you in?
I love the challenges bjj brings me. I learn something new every day, it builds my self-confidence, I create lots of amazing friendships, and it's a top-notch workout!
Are there any other physical challenges that you enjoy?
Pretty much anything that boosts my adrenaline is fun! I will try anything once! And if I like it, I'll do it again and again.
More recently, Fökai Femme has been absolutely obsessed with a recent Marathon that you finished, you know, on a little Mountain called “Mt. Everest” How did you prepare? How did your thought process develop along your ascent? Any life-changing realizaitons?
I started training for it 3 months before the marathon and hired a coach to make my workouts. I was already in great bjj shape, which helped a lot. My previous Ironman triathlon experiences helped a lot too.No life-changing realization. I made lots of awesome amazing lifelong friends there, though! And I learned to trust my body, and that I am stronger (inside and out) than I thought. I could write an entire book about my Mount Everest experience. However, I did make a mini-documentary. (Watch it below)
You truly embody what it means to be a Fökai Femme Achiever, but we must ask- What does Fökai Femme mean to you? Fokai Femme to me means that I get to connect with other awesome, inspiring women like myself from the beautiful island of Guam! We never forget our roots, and I love it!!
Check out her timeline!
1991-1996 Guam National Team Swimmer
2006- Served in the Navy as an Aviation Rescue Swimmer and air-crewman
2010-Awarded the Navy/Marine Corps. Achievement Medal for her rescue efforts in Haiti.
2012- Completes her first Ironman race
2016-Pediatric Nurse
2017-Completed the Mt. Everest MarathonPresent-Full-time Nursing student at The University of Texas at Arlington.
She has one year left to complete her Masters!