Scholars in the Arts
"I am fascinated by the breadth of Art History and by how painting teaches a culture about itself."
Scholar Spotlight
A prolific writer of poetry and song, Nate is a dynamic speaker and isn't shy about performing in front of an audience.
Michael Formichelli
"Civility is often a casualty of controversy, but I have learned, both in speaking and in politics, that if one cannot change one's mind, at least one can change the subject."
- Alumni of: 2002 Graduate Scholarship Program
- Resides: Middletown, CT
- Hometown: Suffern, NY
- Age: 31
- Four-year College or University: Loyola College in Maryland
- Graduate School: Boston College
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Lawyer / Legal Scholar
- Other Interests: Church / Religious Organization, Foreign Languages / International Study, Forensic League / Speech & Debate, Honor Society, Leadership Development, Literature, Outdoor / Mountaineering / Camping, Student Government, Tutoring / Mentoring, Volunteer Work
Biography
Michael Formichelli graduate from Loyola College in Maryland in 2002, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with honors in Philosophy and Political Science. While at Loyola, he was active in the Loyola College Debate Society, which he co-founded his freshman year.
After graduating from Loyola, Michael enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Philosophy at Boston College. He received his Masters Degree in 2004 and his Ph.D. in 2009. His dissertation, entitled, "Aristotle's Theory of Prohairesis and Its Significance for Accounts of Human Action and Practical Reasoning," focuses on solving contemporary problems in describing the relationship between intentions and intentional action by utilizing Aristotle's theory of human choice (prohairesis) in the Nicomachean Ethics. He received research and teaching fellowships while at Boston College in addition to being a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholar. Michael taught introductory courses in Philosophy from 2003 to 2007, and won the Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award two years in a row for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 academic years.
While at Boston College, Michael was actively involved in the larger student community. From 2004-2007, he was the Philosophy Department graduate student treasurer and representative to the Graduate Student Association (GSA). From 2006-2008, he was a member and then co-chair of the GSA Social Committee, which involved planning university-wide student events. In his final year at Boston College, he was President of the GSA, overseeing the implementation of a new organizational constitution and the expansion of grants for student research, travel, and conference organizing.
Michael's experiences in teaching and student government led him to reconsider his vocational goals. He decided that his commitment to his community and to helping others would best be expressed in a career with more direct and tangible results. He therefore decided to pursue a career in law, and is now enrolled at Yale Law School. He hopes to pursue a career in public service, potentially as a prosecutor.
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