Michael Shepherd was born and raised in Miami Shores. After graduating from Saint Rose of Lima, he could not wait to be a Chaminade-Madonna Lion and play football. Michael was a member of Coach Mark Guandolo’s 2005 state championship team. Lion Pride! 

Aside from athletics, he was a L.I.F.E. leader and became an Eagle Scout. The Miami Herald awarded Michael a Silver Knight Honorable Mention in Athletics. He graduated fifth in his class in 2007, receiving the Archdiocese of Miami Award for Catholic Leadership and was voted “best all around” by his classmates for senior superlatives.

Michael went on to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 2011 with Honors and Thesis and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army’s Armor Branch. In 2013, Michael deployed to Logar Province, Afghanistan as a scout platoon leader. There, Michael and his platoon conducted more than 240 combat missions in nine months. His Soldiers were awarded one Bronze Star with valor, 5 Army Commendation Medals with valor, and 3 Purple Hearts. Michael’s awards include the Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge. 

After completing his mandatory service obligation, he left the Army in 2016 at the rank of Captain and entered law school at the University of Florida. There, Michael was a judicial extern for Justice Robert Luck at the Florida supreme court. He graduated cum laude and is now is an attorney at the law firm of Carlton Fields in downtown Miami.