Michelle’s journalism career began at the age of 6 or 7, when she started a newspaper for her neighbors and took care of layout, art, writing, and editing. She also “published” several fiction books through a program at her elementary school. She has always been interested in peoples’ stories and the power of words. Most recently, she worked as the New Jersey state editor for Patch.com.

Michelle is a 2011 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, with a Bachelor of Arts in both journalism and religion. She served as copy editor and managing editor of the school newspaper “The Transcript” and was a reporter and columnist. She is a proud Delta Zeta and served as social chair, philanthropy chair, and president of her chapter. At OWU, she was also president of the campus LGBT organization for two years and vice-president of Students Taking Action Now for Darfur for two years.

After undergrad, Michelle spent some time at the Columbus Dispatch on their sports desk. She then became a general assignment reporter at The Marion Star, and spent two and a half years juggling every topic imaginable. She also wrote a book, “The Marion Popcorn Festival: A Fun-Filled History,” which was published in 2014.

Michelle spent three years as a digital content producer for NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio, managing the station’s website and social media accounts. NBC4 posts reached millions weekly, and Michelle spent a lot of time writing social copy, editing stories and headlines, and writing content. She also served as Delaware, Ohio’s alumnae chapter president for Delta Zeta for four years.

In December 2020, Michelle completed a double Master’s in journalism and global mass communication, through the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and the University of Leipzig in Germany. Her research focused on how social media metrics and web traffic may affect journalists’ news decisionmaking.

At OU, Michelle was selected for the double Master’s program and spent a semester in Germany for her global mass communication degree. She also traveled to Cambodia in May 2019 as part of a graduate storytelling cohort. 

In 2019, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication recognized Michelle for a research paper on cultural hegemony in New York City press coverage of the 1969 Stonewall riots. She received the AEJMC History Division’s inaugural diversity award and took a third-place student researcher award at the annual conference.

She worked for Patch.com beginning in 2021, first as a “roving editor” filling in for colleagues around the nation when they were away from their beats — a juggling act that required her to remotely plug into coverage from many miles away, keeping their local news sites fresh and updated. In 2022, that team dissolved and Michelle joined the dynamic group of reporters embedded in New York City, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. She worked as a state reporter role for both NJ and PA, where she handled Patch’s coverage of important legislative issues, the state budget cycle, major weather events, and more. Michelle left Patch in 2025 to pursue other career opportunities.

Michelle enjoys hiking with her dog, reading, birding, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and cheering on Chelsea Football Club Women. She continues serving her sorority as a philanthropy adviser for the Ohio Wesleyan chapter of DZ and is also a volunteer with Cincinnati Parks, Caracole Cincinnati, and the American Red Cross – Southwest Ohio Chapter.

Photo credit: Yasmeen Ebada/Ohio University