Michelle S. Hite is the Director of the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program and the Director of Prestigious International Fellowships at Spelman College. She is an associate professor in the English Department where her teaching and research interests include death and mourning in African American Culture, Southern Studies, and Toni Morrison. As an extension of Michelle’s scholarly interests, she sits on the advisory committee to the historic preservation board for South-View Cemetery, the oldest, for-profit, African American owned cemetery in the United States and a rich landscape of Atlanta history. Michelle is the 2018 recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching at Spelman College.