Michael has developed diverse and competent writing skills through his varied educational and work experience. Michael's strong writing skills first manifested themselves in high school as he completed challenging writing courses, obtaining advanced college credit through performance on standardized writing exams. His development as a writer continued in college, where he pursued and completed a writing-intensive degree in political science. He graduated summa cum laude and continued his education at the graduate level, obtaining a Master's of Public Administration (MPA) degree and a Master's of School Administration (MSA) degree.

Upon completing his MPA, Michael took a position with a large municipality as a management analyst. In this position, Michael honed his professional writing skills. Exhibited in a variety of formats--annual strategic reports, white papers, policy statements, and press releases--and for a number of different audiences, Michael's competence as a writer was widely regarded within the organization, and his skills were often sought out by his coworkers and superiors. His research and writing skills were frequently called on by department heads and the city manager's office. His compositions were presented to the City Council and released to the public. His research was regularly utilized to make policy decisions by the manager's office and City Council.

After relocating, Michael acquired employment with a financial services firm. His central responsibility was to find and obtain investment and financial planning clients. He was responsible for the bulk of his own marketing and networking strategies; little support was offered at the corporate level. This required consistent and persuasive communication with potential clients describing available services and products. Once a client had committed to a working relationship with Michael and his firm, it was incumbent upon him to provide succinct and lucid communication with the client about complex financial matters. In fact, his and the firm's success hinged on this ability; clients would only invest their monetary assets with Michael and the firm if they trusted his skills and developed an understanding of intricate financial products and strategies.

In assessing his skillsets, Michael concluded the one that had served him consistently was his ability to write and communicate effectively and in a manner which people found both compelling and interesting. Based on his experience volunteering as an assistant football coach and discovering an ability to relate to high school students, Michael decided to pursue a career in education in order to impart his knowledge of the written word to students in an English classroom. Eventually earning a position as an English teacher, Michael has accomplished much in a short period of time. His students have consistently performed at a high level on state and national standardized assessments of writing skills. He has also expanded his composition horizons to include the evaluation of literature and fiction texts. Currently, he is serving in a school leadership position.