Michele Potestio is a teacher at Ida B. Wells who teaches US History and AP Human Geography. She grew up in Southwest Portland and earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Oregon and her Master’s from the University of Portland. Potestio has been teaching at Ida B. Wells for 25 years, and for the first 20 she coached the women's varsity soccer team. She became a teacher because of her love of coaching, the teaching community and watching the development of her students. Her advice to students is to, “Enjoy your time in high school because it goes by fast; focus on learning as much as you can and take advantage of the education teachers are providing.” Outside of school, Potestio enjoys spending time outside and doing anything involving sports such as taking hikes, biking, golf, and tennis.

Written by Miles Baron, Intro to Journalism, Spring 2025