While on the phone with a friend, then 10-year-old Shelly Michael, future 2019-2020 DASB president, heard the Israeli warning sirens ringing. She said goodbye to her friend, headed to a shelter and waited for the missiles to stop before resuming her conversation.

Michael was born and raised until the age of 10 in Petah Tikva, Israel. Michael said during that time she was “aware of what was happening, but wasn’t completely aware.”

“People go through terrible events that can impact their entire lives,” she said. “So this made me aware that you need to be receptive to people.”

Those sirens became apart of Michael’s life until she moved to the U.S.

“Moving made me more aware of the world itself,” said Michael. “Just because the Bay Area is such a diverse place, so I learned about many new cultures and I think that made me a better person.”

Michael graduated from Fremont High School, where she was apart of the theater program, speech and debate team, French Honor Society and a tutoring program called FHS Sol.

“One of my favorite things is learning about people, where they come from, diversities coming together here, so all those experiences really helped me learn that,” she said.

Although De Anza seemed like the “natural step” after high school, Michael said she “fell in love” with the college.

Michael said, “It felt like a place that I could make a difference.”