Michelle Huneke, '13

As a freshman, Michelle Huneke, '13, attended UniverCity Day, a yearly event organized by the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) to familiarize students with the city. UniverCity Day introduced Huneke to the education landscape in Richmond, and she saw an opportunity to get involved.

Huneke joined PACE (Pathways to a College Experience), a college-readiness partnership between the University of Richmond, John Marshall High School, and the Young Adult Police Commission of the City of Richmond Police Department. 

University students serve as mentors, working one-on-one or in small groups with high school students hoping to pursue a college education. 

"The greatest challenge in volunteering for a high school like John Marshall is adapting to a different high school culture than your own," said Huneke. "At the end of the year, the students reassured us that we made a difference, especially in fine tuning their college essays and resumes."

During the next school year, Huneke took on a leadership role as a PACE Action Group member.

"My interest in education has really been building during these last few years," said Huneke.

Last summer, she accepted an internship in her hometown of St. Louis with College Bound, a nonprofit organization that provides high school students from under-resourced backgrounds with the academic enrichment, life skills, and social supports needed to succeed in four-year colleges. 

"At College Bound, I worked with the development team and learned more about the day-to-day efforts that keep a nonprofit organization going," said Huneke.

Now in her junior year, Huneke continues to support the efforts of PACE and serves as the chairwoman of the UR student coalition SEE (Students for Educational Equality). In this role, she inspires other students to reflect on education issues together.

"Michelle is a quiet leader who is deeply invested in education: both her own and the education of others," said Adrienne Piazza, coordinator of student development and educational programming at the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement.

This summer, Huneke hopes to broaden her knowledge and gain hands-on classroom experience in Washington.

"From my experiences in schools, internships, and courses at Richmond, I have both learned and witnessed the vast amount of inequalities in our public school system that prevent youth across our nation from receiving a quality education and the future opportunities it provides,” said Huneke. "I like to believe that pursuing a career in education will allow me to improve the lives of children in the greatest way possible."