Melissa Michaels is an award-winning author of, "A Look Within" book series and an award-winning screenwriter of “Underneath Paradise”.

Her current volunteer work includes Meals on Wheels and Black Girls Surf Foundation. Her past volunteer work included BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools), an all-volunteer program operating under the auspices of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation, the charitable, educational, and humanitarian arm of the Screen Actors Guild.

She is a graduate of San Diego State University and the University of San Diego.

She is a DIY Book Festival award winner for her poetry book, which has won over thousands nationwide. It was her first book, "A Look Within" which gave her a place in literature and provided her notable recognition. She also received San Diego Magazine's Woman of the Year nomination. She has honorable mention on the Southern Poverty Law Center's Wall of Tolerance. The Wall of Tolerance demonstrates that individuals continue to stand up for social justice.