As a Mitchell College student, Angel Graham ’16 once said, “I want to make a difference and put my footprint on the world.”

Today she is doing just that. She credits Mitchell with preparing her to be a critical thinker and develop ways to give back to her community.

Angel volunteers for three non-profit organizations in the greater Philadelphia area. She is a board member for The Arc of Philadelphia and is a member of the Montgomery County Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition, where she serves on the education team.

She also volunteers as a forensic education outreach assistant for the Association of Women in Forensics and recently hosted a webinar on disabilities and forensics as part of Women in Forensics’ “Beyond Autopsies and Crime Scenes” speaker series. Angel, who has cerebral palsy, earned her master’s degree in forensic medicine from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia in 2021. She aspires to use her degree to work for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or the Innocence Project. 

As an environmental studies major at Mitchell, not only did her coursework prepare her for graduate school, but it also taught her transferrable skills. She uses them daily in her job as a customer service representative in an IT Call Center, helping individuals apply for state benefits.

I knew I wanted to major in a branch of science that was interdisciplinary and would help me to become well-versed in an array of topics. In my current job, I often use tactics from both creative psychology and psychology and abilities like problem solving and communication. Resolving a person’s temperament when they might not get a certain response, reassuring them that they have taken the first step in their process, remaining professional at all times and being clear and direct are things I must do in my work every day.

She says that, when considering colleges, she was drawn to Mitchell for its campus, individualized attention and diverse community. 

The campus was visually stunning with its own beach, but it was also a perfect fit for me because, as someone with cerebral palsy, I was able to maneuver around easily with my crutches. I also succeeded in my classes through the one-on-one attention with professors and small class size. Plus, I had the opportunity to meet so many peers from various backgrounds and cultures.