Michael is a powerful voice for transformation through education and lived experience. He currently serves as a Fellow with the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison in partnership with the Institute for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame.

While incarcerated, Michael earned a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from Grace College and completed advanced STEM coursework in Web Development and Audio & Video Production at Ivy Tech Community College. He is also a certified animal trainer, having developed his skills while incarcerated through hands-on work with organizations such as the Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) and Retrieving Freedom, helping train service dogs for children and veterans.

His academic journey includes Inside/Outside courses at DePauw University focused on Ethics and Transformational Leadership, as well as coursework at Indiana University examining Mass Incarceration. Michael also participated in both the Indiana Prison Writer’s Workshop and a Research and Writing for Social Change course at the University of Notre Dame, developing writing and research skills centered on storytelling, critical inquiry, and social impact.

Upon his release, Michael is committed to advocating for systemic change—using education, research, and storytelling grounded in lived experience to expand access to opportunity and advance meaningful reform. His work focuses on empowering impacted communities and reimagining what justice, leadership, and rehabilitation can look like.