Michele V. Burton

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“My mother continually pushes me to try even when I have little faith in myself. My dad always supports me in my various projects and he taught me how to defend my ideas and to never be afraid to be unpopular. I could never have succeeded without their persistent belief in me.”

  • Program: 2011 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: Greenbelt, MD
  • Hometown: Greenbelt, MD

Biography

Profile: Michele Burton is another classic example of a community college student who can succeed and thrive at the nation’s most elite colleges.  Racking up a near-perfect GPA after two years at Maryland’s Prince George’s Community College, Michele’s transferred to Cornell University where she continued her remarkable academic performance and graduated with honors in 2007.  After college, Michele worked as an elementary school teacher for three years, a position she loved.  “Teaching is a joy and a tremendous weight,” Michele said. “I am proud of my students.”  But there was something else driving Michele, something that made her leave teaching for a degree in Public Health.  A dear friend of Michele’s is infected with HIV. “Knowing her struggle alongside her isolation and despair triggered me to dedicate my studies to finding better ways we can educate people about HIV. I want to ensure that health care does not mean merely medicine but also access and awareness to different types of treatments, individual and family counseling, housing, and community activities.”

Inspiration: Michele’s inspiration comes from her brother and the lessons he taught her.  “My brother taught me to be disciplined and to never show fear even when you are so scared you wanna pee on your shoes.” He also taught Michele, “to choose my own battles.” Michele said she learned how to analyze situations and develop strategies for problems they faced as children and teens. “Really I think it is his sense of compassion that helped me to harmonize my thoughts and goals.”

Aspiration:  Michele will attend Johns Hopkins University and hopes to earn a Master’s in Public Health.  She plans to work in HIV/AIDS outreach and prevention. Michele said that more than half of all new US HIV infections are teens.  “We will lose the next generation without effective intervention. I want to reach all populations but I am best equipped to reach young people.  The barriers are high, but the risk of not reaching them is even scarier.”

Making a Difference: Since 2008, Michele has been teaching “in a difficult school in a distraught system.”  She said she admires her students who work hard in their studies while taking on responsibilites for their families that would crush most people. “Despite all that is around them, they stand up for justice, love their families and culture, and will work to achieve.  Working with these young people is an honor for me.  I am continually humbled by their strength.” 

Accolades: Michele was honored by being accepted by the DC Teaching Fellows, was named a Cornell University Transition Scholar, and earned mention on the All USA Today Academic First Team in 2005.

Interesting Fact: In this era of social media, Michele is bucking the trend and proudly admits she does NOT have a Facebook account.

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