Michele Johnson
![]() |
|
What they do:
- Michele is a second year graduate student in theology, pursuing an MA. Her focus is in Catholic moral theology, and is evaluating questions of moral reasoning for difficult cases of life-threatening pregnancy in a theological context.
Math on the job:
- Michele's math context offers a lens through
which she can tackle philosophical and theological questions in bioethics.
Math helps to evaluate arguments logically, as well as construct her own in systematic ways.
- While obviously theology employs math in no immediate proximity, the reasoning skills that she obtained while studying math at the UW have prepared her to think critically, which is essential in the fields of bringing faith and reason to bear on contemporary moral quandaries.
Student's background:
- Michele received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Washington, Spring 2010.
- Michele was initially drawn to math by my natural affinity and talent for it, as well as her interest in teaching secondary education. This vocation has since expanded to ministry and theological education, but she still plans to teach math as well.
Advice for students:
- If you find yourself drawn to further academic studies that bear no immediate relation to mathematics, don't panic. Math and theology in her life and work complement one another very well, and she couldn't be more fulfilled than in the work she am doing now. Follow your passions, but even more importantly, make sure that in doing so you will be serving others. Your life's work will be rewarding insofar as it is not for yourself alone.

