An actor, musician, poet and playwright, Michaela has dedicated her life and career to storytelling in its many forms. She attended George Fox University for her BA in Theatre (Acting & Directing) and Music (Vocal Performance), where she was a recipient of a Richter Research Grant for playwriting, and was invited to present the resulting work at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. She spent the following years as a director and resident playwright for a children's theatre company, before relocating to Dublin to study for her MFA in Theatre Performance at American College Dublin. There, she received the 2023 Master's Student of the Year Award for her performance project and thesis paper.