Through her work with two math department organizations – Illinois Geometry Lab and Association for Women in Mathematics, Michelle has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills. She single-handedly pioneered and raised over $25,000 for the Sonia Math Days for Girls and Girls Engaged in Mathematics and Science (GEMS), wherein she created extremely successful workshops that have affected the lives of many young girls by introducing them to beauty within deep mathematics. Her work has led to ongoing partnership with Chicago Preparatory Science and Engineering Program that provides non-traditional learning opportunities in math and science to some of Chicago’s most underserved populations.

Now, a 5th year PhD candidate, she uses her love of math and art to engage young girls and underrepresented minority students in math through community outreach programs. She hopes that her approach could help attract students who might not otherwise choose mathematics. The Graduate Life blog has a nice article about Michelle.