The young East New York girl who survived a knife attack in a public housing elevator in 2014 says she hopes to become an artist when she grows up.

Mikayla Capers was 7 years old when she went out for ice cream with her friend PJ Avitto on a warm summer evening the night of the attack. She'll soon be 12.

Daniel St. Hubert was convicted of stabbing both children numerous times in an elevator at the Boulevard Houses. Mikayla was seriously injured, and PJ died from his wounds.

St. Hubert is awaiting sentencing scheduled for May 15, when he faces up to life in prison.

Mikayla survived to testify against him during his trial, when as News 12 has reported, the defense attorney repeatedly called her a liar.

"That was really my favorite accomplishment I've ever done," she says. "I think if anything else happens, I might be able to make it through that too."

Her friend PJ is still frequently in her mind, she says.

"Wherever I go, he's always there," she says. "In school, he's always there, anywhere I go."

Now she lives in a new home and says she's making new friends. She draws a lot of pictures and says she hopes to become an artist.

"I like anime TV shows, how they draw," she says. "That's what I'm trying to focus on."

She also likes dancing, making music videos and doing cartwheels, she says. And she's going to play the role of the parrot Iago in her school's production of "Aladdin."

And she's looking out for her little sister Juliet.

"I want her to grow up to be an accomplished young woman," she says.

And she urges other children facing difficult struggles in life to stay strong.

"Forget the past and go on with the future," she says. "If you stick with the past, the past will follow you everywhere."