Sonia Michaels earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English Literature from the University of Washington; she pursued further graduate studies in English at the University of Victoria. She taught her first English Composition class in 1989 as a T.A. at the University of Washington. Since then, she has taught in both Canada (at Thompson Rivers University, Okanagan University College, Sprott-Shaw College, and the University of Victoria), and the U.S. (at Bellevue College, the University of Washington, and, since 2008, DigiPen). She currently teaches English and Communication classes at DigiPen.
In addition to her teaching career, Michaels has spent a decade working as a professional admission consultant, coaching hundreds of students through the process of creating thousands of essays for their applications to top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, law, medical, and MBA programs. She has presented seminars on writing effective personal statements at high schools and non-profit educational organizations in Canada and the U.S. She has also worked as a freelance writer and editor for numerous print and online publications.
Michaels understands that Humanities classes are not the highest priority for most DigiPen students; with that in mind, she attempts to keep the classroom experience lively and relevant, often assigning essays on game-related topics and incorporating elements of sociology, psychology, history, and popular culture into discussions that stimulate critical thinking abilities as well as promoting strong writing and editing skills.
In her Communication classes, Michaels focuses on helping DigiPen students develop knowledge and skills that will prepare them to communicate effectively within their chosen field. Michaels also brings a strong personal interest in video games to her work at DigiPen, having enjoyed everything from classic arcade games to MMORPGS. She has a particular academic interest in science fiction and fantasy literature, and in the intersection of literature and popular culture, including games, graphic novels, film, and television.