{"682077":{"#nid":"682077","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Graduating Public Policy Student Offers a Master Class in Overcoming Adversity","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMichelle Lee knew something was wrong.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt was 2019. She had been struggling with neck pain for two years, but doctors kept telling her it was simply a byproduct of bending her neck while studying too hard.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThen her hands started going numb. Painful shocks would race down her arms. Joints began popping out of place. The discomfort kept her up at night.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt was extremely painful, and most days I couldn\u2019t move, yet I was always told, no, this is in your head,\u201d said Lee, who applied to and was accepted to Georgia Tech even while attempting to figure out the mystery ailment disrupting her life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe tried to do what she\u2019s always done: push through to achieve her academic goals. But, eventually, the weight of her illness became too much. In 2020, Lee had to put her Georgia Tech studies on hold, head home, and focus on finding out just what was happening to her body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt took two years away from Georgia Tech, being shuffled from doctor to doctor, but she finally got an answer: hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and a trio of leaking heart valves \u2014 a combination Lee said has put her future at risk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEDS is a connective tissue disorder that affects every part of the body, causing severe pain and mobility issues. One of 13 subtypes, the hypermobile form is the most common and often comes along with other health issues that significantly impact quality of life.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELess than two months after her diagnosis, Lee began alternating between relying on a walker and wheelchair to help her move around. She was just 22.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELee said her parents wanted her to stay home in Augusta so they could help take care of her. But to Lee, there was just one thing for her to do: come back to Georgia Tech and go after that degree.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I live every day in excruciating pain,\u201d Lee said. \u201cBut I won\u0027t let anybody or anything take my academic prowess away from me.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn Friday, a little less than three years after she returned to Georgia Tech to continue her studies, Lee will graduate with honors and a B.S. in Public Policy, having forged a love for health policy and advocacy in her time here.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne of her favorite professors, Andrew Buskell, remembers her as an outstanding \u2014 and inspiring \u2014 student.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDespite all her hardships \u2014 debilitating fatigue, chronic pain, struggles with the healthcare system \u2014 Michelle was always present and always engaged,\u201d Buskell said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPresent didn\u2019t always mean in-person, though she would be in the classroom when she could,\u201d Buskell said. \u201cBut she would also join from parking lots and waiting rooms where she was seeking emergency care. Once, she even joined from her hospital bed. No matter where she was located, her dedication to learning shone through.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELee is sticking around Georgia Tech for one more semester to finish her master\u2019s degree in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy, in hopes of furthering her ability to shape health policy. She wants to continue making an impact for as long as she can.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I want to cultivate a life for myself,\u201d said Lee, who also works as an executive administrator at the National Alliance on Mental Illness\u2019 Georgia office. \u201cWhatever time I have left, that\u0027s not significant. It doesn\u0027t matter. What matters is what I can build in the time I do have.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs something of an expert on overcoming adversity, Lee has advice for other Georgia Tech students going through rough times. You can do it, she says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYeah, failure is an option. But is that really the route you\u0027re going to choose? Because ultimately everything in life is a choice. And you hold the power.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOh, and you better bet Lee will be at Commencement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou\u0027d have to drag me kicking and screaming away,\u201d Lee said.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMichelle Lee has battled health issues throughout her time at Georgia Tech, but persevered and will graduate on Friday.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Michelle Lee has battled health issues throughout her time at Georgia Tech, but persevered and will graduate on Friday."}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2025-04-28 13:50:04","changed_gmt":"2025-04-28 14:21:56","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-04-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676959":{"id":"676959","type":"image","title":"michelle-lee-commencement.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPublic Policy graduate Michelle Lee, right, at the Capstone Design Expo on April 22, 2025, with teammate Adiba Syed, who is also graduating this Spring. Lee fought through excruciating pain to earn her degree. \u201cI won\u0027t let anybody or anything take my academic prowess away from me,\u201d she says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1745848215","gmt_created":"2025-04-28 13:50:15","changed":"1745848215","gmt_changed":"2025-04-28 13:50:15","alt":"Two college students stand in front of a table with academic posters and a sign that reads \u0022Georgia Tech Capstone Expo.\u0022","file":{"fid":"260813","name":"michelle-lee-commencement.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/28\/michelle-lee-commencement.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/28\/michelle-lee-commencement.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1220602,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/04\/28\/michelle-lee-commencement.jpg?itok=Gn632nLu"}}},"media_ids":["676959"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/iac.gatech.edu\/featured-news\/2025\/05\/congrats-grads-class-of-2025","title":"Learn more about other Spring 2025 graduates"}],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMichael Pearson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EIvan Allen College of Liberal Arts\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}