Mr. Michael N. Pappas II
Class of 2000
Career Pathway: Human Services
Michael N. Pappas II was nominated by Barbara Febey, who wrote, "I am proud to nominate Mike Pappas to the Alumni Hall of Fame. I had Mike as a student at GHS 12 years ago. He always gave 110 percent to everything he attempted. See his attached resume. It shows that he still believes in that high standard of excellence!"
Mike graduated from Grayling High School in 2000. While attending GHS, he was a member of National Honor Society, an active participant in GHS athletics and the valedictorian of his graduating class. He was awarded the Hans Lantzsch scholarship and MEAP and ACT scholarships.
In May 2004, he earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan with a major in psychology with high distinction and high honors and a minor in statistics. He was named a James B. Angell scholar two consecutive semesters for a 4.0 GPA, earned high honors in psychology for his honors thesis and graduated in the top five percent of his class.
He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Wayne State University Law School in May 2007, graduating magna cum laude. During his time in law school, he was elected to The Order of the Coif, was editor-in-chief of The Journal of Law in Society, received the best complaint award in Legal Research and Writing and earned the highest final grade awards in four courses. Again, he graduated in the top five percent of his class.
As an independent contractor for The Southwestern Company in Nashville, Tennessee, from fall 2001 to summer 2003, he worked 85-plus hours a week selling educational books door to door. He showed himself to be in the top 50 in sales of over 3,000 students and had a personal sales total of over $55,000 in a 12-week period. Mr. Pappas was then the head research assistant for the University of Michigan psychology department from summer 2003 through fall 2005. He worked as a student lawyer in the felony division of the Washtenaw County Office of Public Defender in Ann Arbor in the summer of 2005 and as a summer associate for Pepper Hamilton, LLP, in Detroit in 2006.
Since September 2007, Mr. Pappas has been employed by Kerr, Russell & Weber, PLC, where he has worked on a $6 million receivership action and several medical malpractice cases and also concentrates on health care reform and regulatory matters.
He enjoys playing soccer, running, weight training, international travel and teaching statistics and finance and investing.
He is the son of Michael Pappas and Brenda Gibbs. His sister, Rachel Gibbs, is a 2007 GHS graduate. He and fiancee Sara Wacklawek, who is in attendance today with her parents, Richard and Kristina, will be married on May 29.
