Michelle Layer Rahal, ME '93

Mrs. Michelle Layer Rahal’s philanthropic goal is to support individuals like herself who changed careers to go into education while working full-time. Throughout her career in education, Michelle held multiple positions within the K-12 system in the Fairfax and Arlington (Virginia) school districts. She also worked as a consultant on various contracts with the Virginia Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education. Michelle is active in her church community, serving as Youth and Family Ministry Director, a spiritual formation leader and a worship leader. Her indie-award winning book, Straining Forward: One Woman’s Journey from Oppression to Redemption in the Wake of the Vietnam War, was published in 2018 and is currently being adapted into a screenplay by Travis Payne Productions. While writing her second book, Michelle now works as a writing coach and publishes a monthly newsletter and blog, A Glimpse of Holy. You can find her at www.MichelleLayerRahal.com.