Michelle Romano
Email:
michelle.romano@spps.org
Qualifications:
BSW in Social Work, Minor in Spanish - Winona State University
MSW in Social Worker - University of Minnesota
I was born in Pennsylvania. When I was five years old, we moved to St. Paul. I went to Groveland Park Elementary, and because I was so shy, I was in a friendship group facilitated by the school social worker. Then I attended Highland Park Middle School. Before 8th grade, my family moved to Southeast Asia (Malaysia) for one year. That was a fun experience! Then I graduated from Highland Park Senior High School.
While I was growing up, my family volunteered to help those in need, and along with our travels throughout Southeast Asia, I knew that I wanted to help people. This led me to a bachelor's degree in social work at Winona State University. Winona is my favorite place in Minnesota - I love the bluffs, lakes and river. Because I learned Spanish in high school, I studied it in college. For my internship, I worked with the homeless, Vietnamese refugees, and Hispanics. Later, I got my master's degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. I completed that internship at Hidden River Middle School and loved it! My supervisor was the same school social worker who led the friendship group when I was in elementary school!
Over the years, I've facilitated social activities for adults through groups like Meetup. This is where I met Lawrence (partner). I love bringing people together and helping them feel included, something dear to my heart.
Prior to working in St. Paul Schools, I worked at an emergency shelter and summer camp for teens, the Boys and Girls Club, the Health Start Clinic, and an elementary school. In 1998, I was hired to be the school social worker at Highland Park Middle School. It was interesting working with teachers who I had when I was a student! In 2015, I started working at Open World Learning (OWL). I love working here - it's such a caring community.
Being a school social worker is my calling. I love working with kids. I meet with them individually and/or in friendship groups. I also love networking, and I have training in mental health, crisis and trauma.
When I'm not working, I love to travel, spend time with Lawrence, family and friends. My favorite sport is badminton, and we love playing it in the backyard. We regularly watch dogs through Rover, and sometimes we foster rescue dogs. My other calling in life is writing. I wrote children’s books in elementary school and essays in high school and college. Within the last few years, I've even published a few books!