Michelle Cash was born in Banks County, Georgia and graduated from Banks County High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Spatial Analysis and a certificate in GIS and Environmental Science from University of North Georgia. Michelle is a naturalist and outdoor educator and has been an educator at Sandy Creek Nature Center for many years. For the last eight years she has served as the center’s Program Specialist. Basically she teaches any nature related subject to any age people. Michelle lives in Jefferson with her sister, Heather.
What do you love most about your job?
Okay, what I love most is getting to interact with kids and with people because I absolutely love science and nature. I love all aspects of it so I get really excited about it and any time I can share my excitement with someone that is what I love most about my job. I feel the best way to get someone excited and care about the environment is to share my enthusiasm with them so they can get just as excited as me. Every day is different and I get to talk about what I am passionate about. I have always wanted to be a teacher in a classroom, but teachers are a little restricted about what they can teach. But, here at the Nature Center if I want to focus on astronomy for the day that is what I get to focus on. That is why I really love my job, and I love to make people laugh, and to talk about gross facts, especially with kids, to find something really gross about nature gets people excited about something. Anything that is gross or that kids would just say oh my god I can’t believe you would talk about that, like animals (I can’t believe I am about to say this) that fart. I made a video about animals passing gas. It really is fun to gross kids out.. Some adults like it too, but kids love that. That is what I get excited about. That is the favorite part of my job.
When you are not working, what are some of your favorite things to do in Athens?
I love going to comedy and watching the comedy we have here in Athens because there are so many places that have comedy. I love drinking coffee so I am a huge fan of going to all the local coffee houses, and I love going to Rook & Pawn and playing games.
If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?
That is easy. I have always wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands and see the turtles, the tortoises, and the iguanas and lizards over there. I have also wanted to visit because they have the Blue Footed Boobies which are really pretty birds. So, I have always wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands.
If you could see any band or show anywhere, what would you want to see and where?
There are two things that I would like to go to. One, I would love to go to the Hayden Planetarium in New York City and listen to Neil deGrasse Tyson do a planetarium show. For music, I would love to actually be in Hawaii while Jack Johnson performs a concert. I have seen him in concert a couple of times, but to get to go to Hawaii and to listen to him there would be pretty awesome.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
It is okay to fail. It is okay to make mistakes. I think that is something that a lot of young people need to know.
Do you have a favorite book or a book that you find yourself referencing, rereading or gifting most often?
So, I have a lot of books. I love to read. I pretty much will read anything that people put in front of me. I love children’s books, I love classics. I have several favorite books. A couple of the kids’ books that I love are The Monster at the End of this Book; that is a great book. I also love The Pout Pout Fish, because I love to read that book to kids and of course The Lorax, because I am an environmental scientist and that is my absolute favorite. But, I also love a lot of the classics. Two of my favorites are David Copperfield and Great Expectations. I love Miss Havisham, she is one of my favorite characters of all time.
Do you have a favorite movie or remember the first movie you saw in a movie theatre?
I do remember the first movie I saw in a movie theatre, and it is one of my favorites, that is E.T. I absolutely loved that. I like classic movies too. My mom was a huge fan of classical movies. So, there is one, it is an old movie with Katharine Hepburn and it is called Desk Set and that is a really good movie. A lot of people probably will not know that one, but Katharine Hepburn’s character is as smart as a modern day computer. She is able to fact check and find obscure information for people.
What is something interesting about you that most people might not know?
I am certified in sign language. I just got my certificate for sign language a couple of years ago. I guess a lot of people know this next fact about me, but I am very curious, and I love to learn, which tends to drive people crazy. Because if somebody is doing something with construction or art or science, I like to be there and ask questions. I want to see the process and I’m not afraid to ask if I can participate. Which again tends to drive people crazy, especially artists.
If you could have lunch with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and where?
There are a lot of people I would like to have lunch with. My first choice would be my mom. She passed away a couple of years ago and so I would love to have lunch with her, just at home. I would do anything to see her again. I also really admire Dian Fossey and Rachel Carson and those are women I would love to have lunch with, and honestly I could care less where we have lunch, it would just be really great to just interact with them. And then, of course, Stephen Hawking and that could be anywhere, a planetarium, a museum or something like that would be fun.
What three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word “home?”
Nature, family and laughter.
