Michelle Hadid Osorto Nieto (she/her), a 2021 graduate of The Next Step Public Charter School, is an advocate for transgender rights through her passionate involvement with SMYAL, Casa Ruby, and the CDC. Michelle found strength in numbers at The Next Step School, where she organized with other transgender women to be recognized by their real names, advocated for access to gender-neutral bathrooms, and led a weekly discussion group on LGBTQ topics there. In the fall, Michelle’s goal is to attend the University of the District of Columbia, where she will pursue her dream of becoming a social worker to advance her activism for her community. The best leadership advice that Michelle has ever received is a quote from Nelson Mandela: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived, it is what difference we have made in the lives of others that determines the meaning of our life.”
