‘Voice of Logan’ finalist spent lots of time in Hahvahd Yahd

Meagan Lewis-Michelson ’10 didn’t even realize she had a Boston accent until she got to Harvard.

Now the Everett, Massachusetts, native is one of eight finalists from a pool of thousands competing to be the official voice of Boston welcoming visitors to Logan International Airport.

Online voting has closed for the “Voice of Logan” contest, and the winner will be announced on Thursday. If Lewis-Michelson prevails, her voice will greet travelers at the airport by Christmas, according to the Massachusetts Port Authority.

But Lewis-Michelson wasn’t always so proud of her dropped r’s and broad a’s.

While an English concentrator at Harvard, she spent her free time doing theater. That’s when some classmates pointed out that her accent may be more pronounced than she thought.

“I got a bit self-conscious about that,” she said. “The way I describe it is that I Eliza Doolittle-d myself and figured out a way to kind of code switch.”

After Harvard, Lewis-Michelson pursued a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in musical theater at the Boston Conservatory and has spent her career acting and teaching — and doing accents, a longtime passion. She remembers being 6 years old and impersonating Carol Burnett playing Miss Hannigan from the movie “Annie” in her living room.

Lewis-Michelson grew up surrounded by heavy Boston accents.

“My mother has a very strong accent, and I’m the youngest of 11 cousins. Most of my cousins have the accent,” she said. “Even my teachers growing up through the Everett Public School System, most of them had accents, so for me that was just the norm.”

If she wins “Voice of Logan,” Lewis-Michelson said she feels like she’ll be honoring that family and community.

“While she’s been proud, it’s been hard for my mother to understand my path,” she said. “I went to a prestigious school, did a semester in London, went into musical theater, and travel all over the country for my jobs, whereas a lot of my family stayed in a close radius to where they grew up. Something like the ‘Voice of Logan,’ she’s over the moon because it’s recognition for me being exactly who I am and literally speaking her language.”

Lewis-Michelson said she has come a long way from the Harvard undergraduate embarrassed by her voice.

“I’ve grown to wear it as a badge of pride,” she said. “As much as I worked to be able to peel it away, I’ve become much prouder of it in recent years.”

No matter who gets the honors, Lewis-Michelson said she’ll be pleased.

“Everyone’s actually wonderful, so I can’t be mad however it pans out. It’s a win-win in these circumstances.”

The winner of the “Voice of Logan” competition will be announced Thursday on the Billy & Lisa in the Morning radio show, which airs from 6-10 a.m. on Kiss 108 WXKS-FM.