Parent Reviews and Student Testimonials

I would highly recommend Michaela for the wonderful work she has done with my children. The moment my daughters catch sight of her, they immediately run to her and don't let go. She captivates their attention, brings them joy for the work in front of them, and speaks to them in a way so few adults can (a healthy balance of adult sprinkled in with the excitement of youth). My daughter has ADHD and struggles to stay focused on the task at hand. Michaela does a great job of redirecting her attention and allowing her to creatively problem solve. She is able to bring energy and pride in their work in a way I am not able to. And her positivity and affirmations towards my child mean so very much to her. I would be happy to provide a more personal reference to anyone interested.

— Vera Switek, Parent

Michaela was her previous organization’s best asset - an incredible teacher and manager. About six years ago, we sent our daughter, a middle schooler, who showed interest in writing to that org. There our daughter had the privilege to have Michaela as her teacher. She became so engrossed in writing and requested Michaela to be her teacher for the next four years as she became a regular afterschool student in writing. Under Michaela's tutelage, my daughter quickly gained confidence and carved her path as a budding writer: She explored many different genre's writing and composed writing in many styles in a creative portfolio and she has won three Scholastic Art & Writing Regional awards over the years. Michaela's creative, warm and patient approach with her students has won 'the best teacher' reputation amongst all her students. She often stays late to work with a student one on one to provide guidance on their writing, or use her own time to help them revise their writing before the student's submission to a writing contest. Michaela is not only an amazing and inspiring teacher but also an efficient and capable manager who helped her previous org build and expand its business across the west coast. We were so grateful to have Michaela as our daughter's writing mentor.

— Amanda, Parent

Michaela has been a true and beloved mentor for my daughter throughout her adolescence, supporting her growth as a writer both practically and personally. Michaela's careful yet curious attention has motivated my daughter to make her writing as strong and fully developed and imagined as possible. At the same time, Michaela has never lost sight of a deep respect for a young person's autonomy in their vision, ambition and creation. In fact, with Michaela, the attention, motivation and respect she provides are of a piece. Any young writer would be very lucky to work with such an effective and encouraging mentor.

— Elizabeth Treadwell, PG

Michaela was a godsend for my daughter. We had just moved, and she had started a new school and really needed somewhere to focus her passion of writing. We enrolled her in a group workshop setting, which met once a week on zoom. Once Nicola started working with Michaela, EVERYTHING shifted. Nicola found a place and community in which to find her voice and express herself though her writing - but more importantly, she found an advocate, cheerleader and coach in Michaela. Michaela didn't just help Nicola with the craft of writing (although she absolutely did that!). She helped Nicola find her confidence and trust her own creative voice, which was such a gift. Nicola is forever changed after working with Michaela, who also coached her and helped Nicola edit and prepare her submission pieces for Scholastic Art and Writing in 2023, when Nicola won a silver medal for her personal essay, as well as two honorable mentions. I cannot say enough about Michaela and everything she did and still does for my daughter!

— Laurie Bailey, PG

Our daughter really flourished and found her love of writing during her time at Writopia and that was in great part due to the supportive and open environment that Michaela created for her writing workshops. Our daughter can be very tough on herself and can be closed to ideas if she doesn’t feel heard or seen, yet in working with Michaela she really felt able to be open and stretch herself to create in a way that pushed her writing and emotional exploration to new levels. I also benefitted from Michaela’s willingness and support for a Girl Scout in my Troop who was creating a writing platform for young native writers for her Gold Award Project. Michaela was open and supportive when meeting with her and she generously offered ideas and the donation of time toward her project. Michaela has been someone who stood out as a trusted writing mentor for our daughter and I can highly recommend her to any child or family looking for writing support.

— Stephanie, Parent

My daughter, Nell, worked with Michaela for four years in a variety of writing workshops. Michaela helped her find inspiration, tap into her creativity, and refine her messaging when she felt stuck. Michaela has a unique talent and personality that create a nonjudgmental space, allowing my daughter to believe in her own writing potential. Thanks to Michaela’s guidance, Nell has written numerous essays, poems, and creative pieces over the years, with her most recent essay earning her a Gold Key recognition from Scholastic. Michaela is a gem, and I recommend her to many of my friends who have kids interested in writing.

— Marge, Parent

Our daughter really loved working intensely with Michaela. We could tell that her connection to Michaela was much stronger than other instructors and when asked why she said that Michaela was much more supportive, better at listening, understanding, and giving great feedback. Our daughter felt more comfortable sharing her private writings in this intimate space because Michaela created a great environment for writing and, more importantly, sharing. She was her favorite of the many writing instructors she had through junior high and high school and would love to work with her again.

— Ben R., Parent

Michaela was instrumental in shaping my daughter’s writing in her weekly Creative Portfolio workshop. The training my daughter received from Michaela contributed to her winning top prize for writing at Scholastic Arts and Writing in 2024.

— Asha Parham, PG

Michaela is a truly incredible mentor, and her guidance helped me find my voice–and most importantly, her encouragement grew my passion for writing, which has remained with me for years. I first met Michaela at the Bay Area Scholastic Awards in middle school, and for the next four years, got to work with her to become a better writer. Her technical expertise allowed me to hone my craft and completely changed the way I thought of constructing a piece, and she doesn't shy away from constructive feedback to really push her writers to be the best they can be. Beyond that, Michaela understands each of her students personalities, needs, and writing styles to work with them on finding their story. I'm incredibly grateful to be her student and friend!

— Michelle Qiao, Stanford (committed), Yale EA, all UC’s; Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Gold Medal 2020, 2021, 2022; American Voice Medal 2022; YoungArts: 7x winner
California Arts Scholar First Place

In middle school and high school, Michaela's presence and guidance was hugely helpful in boosting my confidence -- not just as a writer, but as a person growing into myself. I remember being a 7th grader in Michaela's after-school workshop, struggling to adhere to her strict no self-deprecation policy. Michaela always believed in me and pushed me to believe in myself, too. Michaela's classes were also the first time I ventured into writing creative non-fiction, and now, largely as a result of Michaela encouraging me to try my hand at writing non-fiction, I've been writing lots of memoirs, lyric essays, and poetry. I'm now a junior at Oberlin College, where I'm double-majoring in Creative Writing and Linguistics and working part-time as a language teacher. I think back fondly on being Michaela's student and hope that I can be like Michaela to my own students.

— Andy Roshal, Oberlin College

I was Michaela's student for six years, from seventh grade until high school graduation. I had the privilege of working with her in many settings–from creative writing workshops at sleepaway camp to private Zoom sessions–and I can confidently say that I was always challenged by Michaela. She made me grow in every way: always encouraged me to tackle new topics, techniques, and forms, to never back down from a piece just because it felt intimidating. She’s not afraid to give you criticism; but for every suggestion Michaela will give you, she’ll leave a comment saying “*snaps!* in love with this line!”. Michaela is that special kind of teacher: she’s a sharp, kind, witty problem-solver, and she will believe in your writing so deeply that you’ll forget that you ever doubted yourself. She helped me create and polish almost every single piece I wrote, whether it was college supplementals, my senior portfolio, or just a short poem. Michaela was always happy to be there for all of it. I am forever grateful that I got to learn, explore, and grow up with her– and that today, I can call her my friend.

— Lea Karian, UC Berkeley ED

When I Michaela’s Creative Portfolio workshop, I was unused to sharing my writing with others, as I had been homeschooled all my life and was unused to opening my work to criticism. I do not believe that I would have grown to be so comfortable with sharing if I had not had Michaela as my instructor. She was kind, knowledgeable, and respected my boundaries surrounding my writing. With her wisdom and enthusiastic support I was able to not only share my writing with others but to enter it into the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. However, the true award was getting honest, constructive, and often positive feedback from a true professional, as well as learning so much from her during the two years I was in her group. She was exceedingly helpful while I was writing my college essay, and I was accepted to nearly every school I applied for. I am now in college, and the lessons I learned under her guidance are helping me every day.

— Ricky Smith, McDaniel College

Over the four years I've worked with Michaela on my writing she has been nothing but an infinitely helpful resource. She took careful time to learn how I write and how I think and I could not have gotten to the point in my writing career I am today without her. The ways in which she has pushed me forward into developing my own practice and my own voice have been invaluable and I can never thank her enough for that. At the same time, she also pushed me to branch out, and work in areas I'd never even thought to take a pass at before. Though I didn't stick to all of these and some will continue to be mysteries to me even beyond her tutelage, I can't say I ever would've tried them if she didn't encourage me to and support me through many workshops where I didn't feel at all confident in what I was doing. She is not only an excellent mentor and instructor but also a fantastic editor. Recently I had the opportunity to work with her on my common application as I am a senior this year; I can confidently say no part of me felt capable of what I ended up being able to do before her help. Having written an altogether lackluster, meandering, and uninspired first draft I was feeling set on the idea that I would simply keep it and work with what I had (as the college process has not been kind to my nerves). Michaela took one look at it and confidently said "you can do better". It is a phrase I often secretly think to myself, expecting to hear it from other people and feeling relieved when yet again I hear that my work is fine as it is. As much as relief is a lovely feeling I don't think it's ever gotten me anywhere productive. Relief is the feeling of doing just enough work that you can pass, the feeling that mistakes you've made will go unnoticed, that impending disaster has been averted. Michaela on the other hand strives pushes every one of her pupils to strive for excellence. Did I want to scrap everything I had written and start completely fresh on the most important essay of my academic career to date? Not in the slightest. Who would? But there has always been something about Michaela's mentorship that inspires me--and I expect everyone else she's ever mentored--to do what will push me the most and create the best work. I am proud to say that my college essay is something I'm happy with the result of, especially as someone who went into the process assuming I would hate the end result. In record time Michaela created a space where I could feel comfortable not only with her pushing, but also with me pushing myself. I cannot recommend her more as a mentor than to say her help has let me do amazing things.

— Dina Lusztig Noyes, Youth Poet Laureate Santa Cruz 2024, Sarah Lawrence College ED

I was a Creative Portfolio student in Michaela's workshop for two years. I struggle a lot with accepting feedback on my writing, specifically accepting positive feedback, because I feel that I can’t trust its accuracy. I didn’t receive a lot of constructive criticism in my earlier classes, which has always felt more beneficial to me. There were only one person whose comments and suggestions I trusted: Michaela. I could always trust that Michaela’s comments, constructive or positive, were honest. I grew so much as a writer during that time, and I can say with complete confidence that I wouldn’t have been the writer and person I am today without Michaela’s guidance and teaching. Every other writer I’ve met who has taken Michaela’s workshop has spoken to how much she has helped them become stronger writers. I don’t know if I would have gotten into my current college if it hadn’t been for her help with my common app and supplemental essays. She taught me to trust my instincts when editing, to give myself space to not be perfect, and to be kind to myself when I failed to meet my own writing expectations. I will take that knowledge with me for the rest of my academic and creative career.

— Camil Piperni, Smith College EA (committed), Bryn Mawr College, Bard, Kenyon, Mt Holyoke, Oberlin College, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY ESF, Hunter College, Brooklyn College
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) "superior"" designation
Scholastic Art & Writing: Gold Keys 2021, 2022, 2023

Michaela is one of the most dedicated mentors I've ever met. She literally goes out of her way and dips into her own pay and personal time to help out writers in need. When she mentored me to put on a free writing program at our local library, her leadership in workshops inspired literally dozens of students to step into their power and their voices. She did this entire role with no pay, but just for the joy of teaching and sharing. She taught me how I can be not only a good writer and a good editor, but a good citizen of this world.

— Kaya Dierks, Student

Michaela is the best writing coach I’ve ever had. She is supportive and encouraging but also gives honest, helpful feedback. It always felt like she deeply cared about my writing and took it more seriously than many adults take kids’ or teens’ writing, which in turn made me feel like it was important too. I think that is the most valuable thing a teacher or coach can give you: the self-belief that your art is important! When I was in Michaela’s writing workshop I wanted to write more and more because of her encouragement, and my writing improved drastically under her teaching. When I did my first public reading, I was so happy that Michaela could come because I owe much of my ambition as a writer to her encouragement and feedback. I recommend Michaela as a writing coach because she can help you find your voice as a writer, hone it, and get past writers block and down to what you really want to say in your work. She also makes writing fun!

— Gemma, Student

Michaela is a gem to work with. She's inspired me to write so much, and I would not be studying what I am today without her. As a shy freshman, she encouraged me to be a part of a literary magazine. Two years later, she immensely helped me with my Scholastic Art and Writing submissions, and I attained a Gold Key. Not only that, she helped me with a memoir piece that won 1st place out of 11,000 entries for the New York Times Learning Network Contest. Michaela is kind, encouraging, and knows how to help teens write! I recommend her for any coaching a child needs.

— Ruhani Chhabra, Student
Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key
NYTimes Learning Network Contest winner

Michaela is the absolute best instructor I've ever had and I wouldn't be the writer I am today without her. She is sweet, funny, and so supportive. Her feedback and constructive criticisms always help me see things differently and enrich my writing. She's just the best instructor on the planet :)

— Aashvi, Student
Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key and Honorable Mention Winner

I had the pleasure of working with Professor Michaela Florio for undergrad studies. I took the English class required for my major. Professor Florio’s teaching style is engaging and encourages learning. She encourages her students to read more and challenges them to think critically about the short story. Her feedback on my writing was constructive and insightful, helping me improve my writing. Professor Florio made literature easier to understand through dynamic discussion and creative in-class group assignments. Thanks to her guidance, I’ve improved my writing and critical thinking skills when reading a book or writing. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from such a dedicated and knowledgeable professor. Thank you to Professor Florio for the support and encouragement to improve my writing.

— Yamell Cuevas, Undergrad Student

Michaela is amazing! She has been an amazing source of support, advice, and inspiration. She encouraged me to try new things, to submit my writing, and to aim higher, and I always knew her belief in me was genuine. She was there guiding me as I discovered my love for writing, and has helped me believe in myself through her support. Even if I'm not in her class, or it has been months since talking, she will check in on me, give me feedback on a piece, or reach out with new exciting opportunities. She is incredibly nice and fun to talk to, and it is clear that she really cares about the people she makes connections with. I hope we stay in touch for years to come.

—Harper, Student

Michaela has been my favorite instructor because she is very specific when giving feedback. She takes her time with you. She encourages play and completely avoids the idea that any of your choices are right or wrong. She challenges you to understand that your work is a process before it becomes a finished product. Her humor and kindness make her an absolute joy to write with!

— Adiyah P., Student
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards National Gold Key winner for Senior Portfolio