Writes Michael of his impressive career thus far:

I have quite humble beginnings and was raised on a small family farm in Hebron, a small town located in the northwest corner of Indiana; my father is, not surprisingly, a farmer, and my mother instructs art at the elementary school in my hometown. The proud product of public schools, I graduated as a Hoosier Scholar from Hebron High School in 2004 and started at IU as a Wells Scholar this past fall, declaring majors in Biochemistry and Biology (if you need any more high school info, feel free to head over to this page).

Tracking back a bit before this fall, I started working as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Joel Ybe in July of 2004. Keeping the science jargon to a minimum, we study clathrin, a protein involved in receptor mediated endocytosis and has ties to disorders such as heart disease. I've received financial support for my research in the form of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant awarded by the Biology Department and the Dennis G. Peters and
Earl G. Sturdevant scholarships from the Chemistry Department. Outside of science, I enjoy writing essays and was the Undergraduate Winner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest at IU this past winter. I'm also active in the Bloomington community as a volunteer with numerous organizations and most recently traveled to Appalachia to work on a variety of service projects in a small town there. I also participated in the Integrated Freshman Learning Experience program at IU, which exposes incoming freshmen to collegiate level
scientific research and is, in my opinion, the most valuable first step an incoming science student can take (and it's totally free).

Politically, I'm a moderate, both socially and fiscally, although I'm severely disgruntled by the current polarization of the major parties at the moment. I preferred McCain to Bush (whom I've never cared for) way back when. I'm a strong supporter of hard work and a positive attitude. Regarding my future plans, I'm currently planning on attending medical school for either the MD or MD/PhD dual degree.