Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation

Fellowship Year: 2010

Academic Background: Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies - MS 2011- (Forestry and Environmental Studies / Divinity)

Michelle Lewis is a joint degree student with the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and the Yale Divinity School. She is concentrating on connecting under-served urban populations (at-risk youth and juvenile offenders) to the environment through their religions using popular culture. This summer she will be working in New Haven, Connecticut to develop a model for working with youth by engaging them in positive natural experiences. Prior to coming to Yale, Michelle spent 12 years as a United States Park Ranger. During her work with the National Park Service(NPS), Michelle worked and trained at locations across the United States including: Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Fort Sumter National Monument, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, the Grand Canyon, and the Arch in St. Louis. Before separating from the NPS Michelle was a Law Enforcement officer, an Interpreter, and a Biological Science Technician. She has published an article in the current issue of Sage Magazine about the time she spent working for the NPS. Michelle's background is in Communication (Film Directing). She has produced two award winning documentaries, "Stairway to the Top of Hatteras," that she made in conjunction with Boyer Video that won a Communicator Award of Distinction, and a video about Law Enforcement in the National Park Service, that won the NPS Intake Program award for innovation and creativity. Michelle holds a B.A. from Elizabeth City State University, and a M.A. from Regent University, and in her free time enjoys traveling, hiking, and writing.

Expertise: Environmental Education, Environmental Justice