Mije Von Merta-Sustarich is one of the newest Board Member. She has proudly served as the secretary for the Slovene National Benefit Society (SNPJ) Lodge 304 of San Francisco for the past five years. A third-generation Slovenian American whose great-grandparents hail from the Bela Krajina region of Slovenia, Mije’s vision as a board member is to emerge as a beacon for preserving and celebrating Slovenian traditions on a global scale.
As Secretary of Lodge 304, she played a pivotal role in elevating SNPJ Lodge 304 to Gold Lodge status in 2023, spearheading events such as Pust, Slovenian Basketball Night, Christmas celebrations, officer gatherings, and the Balina in the Park summer picnic. Her dedication has been recognized through the Lodge Bonus Referral Program Award (January 2024) for recruiting new members and the SNPJ Academic Scholarship for the Fall 2024–Fall 2025 term. She has represented SNPJ Lodge 304 as Young Adult Delegate for the past four years, participating actively in YAC Zoom meetings and serving as Young Adult Secretary in 2023. Her involvement with SNPJ began in childhood—long before she could hold a plate of blood sausage.
Mije’s commitment extends beyond SNPJ. In collaboration with Club Slovenia, she organized a successful fundraiser in fall 2023 for victims of the devastating Slovenian floods of summer 2023. She has been engaged with the Educational and Dramatic Club Slovenia since birth, helping manage the club’s flagship Grape Festival (Vinska Trgatev) alongside her father, head chef Mark Sustarich. Her cultural involvement includes Slovenian Mother’s Day celebrations, Statehood Day events, lunches, and annual board meetings. She has also studied the Slovenian language through both Club Slovenia and the University of Ljubljana and regularly contributes written pieces to Prosveta- a national SNPJ sponsored newspaper.
In the summer of 2023, Mije was awarded the American Slovenian Educational Foundation (ASEF) Fellowship, which enabled her to move to Slovenia to pursue cancer research on glioblastomas at the University of Ljubljana. Upon returning home, she began her Master’s in Biochemistry at San Francisco State University (Spring 2024), continuing her research on argininosuccinate synthetase I and its role in cancer/metabolic disorders. She also serves as the Public Relations Officer for the Chemistry and Biochemistry Student Association at San Francisco State University. Mije received her Bachelor of Arts in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a concentration in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, graduating from high school a semester early with honors.
Outside of her academic and cultural commitments, Mije is one of the few women worldwide to hold the “Kru” accreditation from the Thailand Ministry of Education, recognizing her mastery of Muay Thai. She has trained at World Team USA for over 15 years and is a multi-certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) with specialties including Nutrition Coaching, Weight Loss, Corrective Exercise, Performance Enhancement, and Physique & Bodybuilding Coaching (www.TrainwithMije.com).
Mije is also an accomplished model/actress, honored to be selected as Miss San Francisco Regency, competing for Miss California Regency in March 2026. Her experience spans fashion, commercial, runway, and music videos. She has received commendations from the U.S. Congress. Internationally, she earned the title of Miss Slovenia 2016 at the Rumi Awards International Pageant.