Who she is

At her core, Michelle is a compassionate and wicked smart human full of heart and soul. She has the ability to teach young (and old!) lives in a way that makes you want to keep learning more and more. If you ask her what her dream is, it's "to meet new people where they are and appreciate them for who they are, as I journey through life." She is a wife, mom, daughter, friend, and lover.

Originally from Grand Rapids, Michelle moved away and spent most of her life in Kalamazoo raising her four daughters with her partner at that time. In 2021 she retired from teaching middle school science after 33 years. In 2022, Michelle made the choice to do something for herself and she left the Kalamazoo world and moved to Big Rapids with Monica. She accidentally got pulled out of retirement and went back into the schools to teach high school and middle school biology and health at the local charter school for one more year. Michelle loves teaching the kids about anything and everything, building great campfires, cooking amazing meals, being fix-it-michelle, trying out new breweries around Michigan, traveling with Monica, shopping with her daughters, rock hunting and being in nature. She also needs to consume an entire pot of coffee before starting her day—and it must be black coffee!

Michelle is 57 years old and currently lives in Michigan with her wife, Monica and their two kids, Zeke and Charlie, and their pups, Lillie, Cricket and Winnie. Michelle has been in the LGBT community since she was 19.