The Newest Bachelorette Is a Teacher and She Put Her Job Ahead of Filming

There’s always so much excitement when a new season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette begins. We want the lead to find love, and we want to love them too. With Season 18 in full swing, fans are already rooting for Michelle Young, a teacher who put her job ahead of filming to find love.

Fans met Michelle Young while competing for Bachelor Matt James' heart. She was brought in mid-season in a twist no one saw coming. However, she quickly became a favorite of Matt’s and the audience too.

Now that she’s been named the new lead of The Bachelorette, we’re learning that there was a chance she would step down before the news was even official. For Michelle, her job as a teacher was top priority.

During Matt’s season of The Bachelor, we learned a lot about Michelle and her life before joining the reality show. Michelle attended Bradley University, majoring in elementary education while competing for the university’s basketball team.

Before winning the hearts of America with her smarts and charm, she put her education to work as a teacher. We learned during Matt’s season when she made it to the hometown dates that she took her job as a teacher very seriously.

Knowing what we learned during Michelle’s time on The Bachelor, it wasn’t surprising to hear that before accepting the role as the lead in Season 18 of The Bachelorette, her students would come first.

It was reported that Michelle would only be OK with taking the lead role on the upcoming season if production didn't prevent her from missing any more time at school.

And that’s what happened. The entire season of The Bachelorette was filmed during the summer. This way, Michelle could go on a whirlwind adventure trying to narrow down her suiters to find love while not being apart from her students.

The bulk of filming took place in Michelle’s home state of Minnesota. That choice is likely practical for the production crew and for Michelle too. In keeping the dates local to one area, there are fewer complications since it’s still filming during the COVID-19 era.

When asked by Variety what plans she has, if any, for what she will do after the show, her answer really nails home why she wanted to film during school’s summer break.

Although many other leads and contestants move to LA to pursue entertainment after being on the show, Michelle said, “I’ll definitely be in a classroom the rest of the school year."

According to local news station KSTP, an affiliate of ABC, Michelle was working as a fifth-grade teacher at Echo Park Elementary School in Burnsville, Minn. However, according to her Bachelorette bio, Michelle may have had a recent slight career change as she says she is now a kindergarten teacher — and she has aspirations for the future.

“I’m working towards getting my masters in administration,” Michelle said in an interview with Variety. “I always have wanted to be an elementary school principal. That’s something that I am incredibly passionate about, and that’s where fulfillment comes from for me.”

So, yes, she’s still teaching, and it doesn’t sound like she has any plans in the future to switch gears and move in another direction.

The new season of The Bachelorette starring Michelle Young premieres on Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.