About
Michelle has been a full-time freelance writer since 2003; her writing has been published in newspapers, print magazines, online magazines, blogs, and websites on a variety of subjects from legal and business matters to tomatoes. She also runs a law school personal statement review and editing service at Personal Statement Artist.
Michelle holds a law degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law, which she attended on a Law Faculty Merit Scholarship. At Temple Law, Michelle served as Research Editor on the Temple Law Review, published an award-winning comment on professional responsibility, received awards for excellence in the study of tax law and for commitment to public service, and also taught legal concepts to public middle school students through Project LEAP.
During law school, Michelle served as a research assistant to Dr. Jacqueline Stefkovich, J.D., Ed.D, specializing in 4th amendment law in public schools, and wrote for The Legal Intelligencer.
Upon graduation, Michelle served as an appellate law clerk for two years for Justice Frank J. Montemuro, Jr. of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
Michelle also holds bachelor’s degrees, with honors, in English and history with a minor in criminology from Duke University. While at Duke, Michelle completed over 250 hours of community service through the national community service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, and worked part-time in the school’s bookstore.
For Michelle’s full resume, see her profile on LinkedIn.
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Michelle is a native of the Anthracite Coal Region in central Pennsylvania and moved to her ancestors’ medieval mountaintop village in Calabria, the toe of Italy’s boot in 2003, where she resides with her Italian husband Paolo, dogs Luna and Stella, goat Pasqualina and her kid Pinta.
She writes about her life in southern Italy at Bleeding Espresso and specifically about the experience of raising kids at Goat Berries.
Michelle is also an occasional co-host on the Eye on Italy podcast about current news and events happening in Italy and co-host of World Nutella Day.
