A second chance at life was the beginning of a new commitment to helping others for Michelle Rahn (BME ‘66).

The Sioux City native suffered a heart attack following the April 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Rahn’s connections with some of those involved in the tragedy hit too close to home. She had taught one of the boys responsible for the shootings, and her husband and daughter coached with one of the teachers who was killed that day, along with 12 students.

“Columbine changed my life,” Rahn said. “I was happy to be alive, and I came out of my heart attack recovery with a new dedication.”

In November 2004, Rahn was named Ms. Senior America. She spent the next year speaking to other seniors encouraging them to live life with a positive attitude and to get involved with youth in their communities. She traveled to 15 states and delivered 262 presentations.
“Seniors are the foundation of America, and I tell them we can make a difference,” Rahn said. “Today’s world is often difficult for young people to manage. If seniors work with younger generations, we can help them build a better society.”

Now retired after teaching for 28 years in Colorado’s Jefferson County schools, Rahn stays active through involvement in Time to Teach, a teacher mentoring effort that focuses on classroom management and effective student discipline; the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, an organization that works with women and girls in family and economic situations considered at risk; and the Gideon Prison Fellowship, a program that reaches out to women living in halfway houses. She is also a mentor mom for MOPS, Mothers of Preschoolers.

How does she keep up with everything? For the lively and cheerful Rahn, it all comes down to making a positive difference in the lives of others, even if it’s only one person at a time.

“By doing good works and encouraging people, we can transfer some of our strengths to others,” she said. “If there’s somebody who isn’t getting encouragement from a parent, spouse, or other family member, the only way they’re going to get it is from someone else.”

Mary Sissel, chair of the board for the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, also grew up in Sioux City and has known Rahn for more than 50 years. Together, Sissel and Rahn have made numerous site visits to groups seeking grants from the Foundation. One involved a low-income Denver neighborhood where a group of mothers wanted improvements at their neighborhood schools.

“This was a group of women who had never before taken leadership roles,” Sissel said. “Michelle’s ability to meet them on their level, make suggestions, and convince them they had the power to succeed was of great significance to them. We all knew the risk of funding such an inexperienced group, but Michelle was a spokesperson for them. We did fund them, and three years later they have made incredible changes in their schools and their neighborhood.”

Sharman Schwinn volunteers with Rahn in MOPS, a group in which mentor moms encourage and counsel younger women on different aspects of mothering and marriage.

“Michelle has an extraordinary way of making people feel extra special,” Schwinn said. “She has taken one young mom under her wing and counseled her through marital struggles. Another mom recently had a miscarriage and Michelle has been an encouragement to her.”

Throughout her educational career, Rahn excelled as she has with her volunteerism and activism. She was named Teacher of the Year in 1992, and was honored for 15 years of service in the Educator Mentor Program. In 1995, she received the Teacher Excellence Award from the Denver Southwest Rotary and the Outstanding Educator Award from Xcel Energy.

–by Joe Nugent