About Michelle

As a queer daughter of immigrants and a proud graduate of public schools, Michelle has been an ardent advocate for putting people and planet over profit. Hailing from San Francisco, Michelle studies Government at Cornell University and has worked with local government on policy and grant-writing initiatives tackling housing affordability, public education & infrastructure, workers’ rights, and climate change. Underlying her passion is a commitment to her community and its people – believing that the best way to help is through direct action. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Michelle founded and headed two non-profit organizations, Masks For All and SF CHANGE. Working on the ground in San Francisco’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, Michelle spearheaded a national organizing effort of 250+ volunteers that raised over $25,000 and donated 50,000+ masks to at-risk communities. Additionally, Michelle’s dedication to bolstering youth education resulted in her leading educational and professional workshops impacting over 3,000 students in San Francisco in collaboration with youth leaders, community organizations, and elected officials. In Ithaca, Michelle has been an active organizer with the Cornell Democrats: helping direct initiatives with the Ithaca Tenants Union, supporting organized labor movements such as Fees Must Fall and Starbucks Workers United, pushing for the expansion of TCAT, and advocating for a more equitable increase of Cornell’s monetary contribution to the City of Ithaca. Michelle’s philosophy is simple, action drives change. Ithaca needs a representative that is willing to fight for the needs of her constituents, and that work begins on the streets, not behind a desk.

Michelle is devoted to prioritizing the issues that matter most: protecting the rights of tenants by pushing for Good Cause Eviction laws and the adoption of the Emergency Tenant Protection Act; making housing more affordable and stopping the displacement of residents through ADUs, zoning reform, and removing parking minimums; lowering costs for homeowners by concentrating on flood and climate change mitigation efforts; increasing funding to public infrastructure such as TCAT and Reimagining Public Safety; and addressing the renegotiation for Cornell’s increased contribution to the City of Ithaca. Though diverse, Ithacans are united by a love for the city we home, and Michelle is dedicated to ensuring its prosperity – by building bridges, not walls.