“In the River They Swim” Essay Competition

by Michelle Ruehl

Michelle Ruehl is an Air Force officer, a C-130 Hercules pilot, and an English instructor. She graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a B.S. in English, where she played rugby and spear-headed the cadet Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. After graduation, she attended joint flight training with the Navy in Pensacola, earning her pilot wings, and then she went on to graduate school to study psychology, specializing in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. In addition to flying, she also spent time doing volunteer work at two Buddhist monasteries in Nepal, developing the curriculum and teaching several courses. Last year, Michelle attended a summer program at New York University called “Reading, Writing, and Service Learning,” where she learned how to set up tutoring programs for inner-city writing centers. She currently teaches at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School in Colorado, where she also works with the Army’s “Wounded Warrior” program, using horses to rehabilitate soldiers who have come home from the combat zone with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Michelle’s long term goal is to take the leadership skills she has learned in the military and use them as an international ambassador, while continuing to fly, teach, and apply therapeutic riding to support those returning from war.