Prior to working for the university, Melissa completed both an undergraduate and advanced standing graduate social work degree from The University of Akron, School of Social Work. During her graduate degree program with the university, she was awarded the NASW (National Association of Social Workers) Ohio Region II MSW Student of the Year Award for coordinating the first LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Intersex) youth program for the Akron Area Pride Collective in Akron, Ohio. Melissa was also a graduate instructor intern for the Women's Studies Program at The University of Akron and taught Introduction to Women's Studies, Feminist Theory, and World's of Women. She completed an undergraduate field placement with the Ohio Department of Youth Services and a graduate field placement with Summit County Children Services. Melissa has prior work experience with juvenile delinquents at Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center in Canton, Ohio as a Youth Counselor. She has also worked for Shipley Day Treatment at the Child and Adolescent Service Center in Canton, Ohio as a Teacher Aide for Canton City Schools.

Melissa is currently working on her Doctoral Degree in Non-Profit Management at Capella University. She is interested in studying emotional competency among child welfare workers for her dissertation. Her future prospects include the following: creating an alternative to incarceration for juvenile offenders that focuses on adding a spirituality component to current intervention techniques; secondary trauma and counter-transference among social workers; research and teaching.

Some of Melissa's personal interests include playing guitar and singing in her band entitled Sacred Fiction. Melissa was also once a professional dart player 98', professional bowler 96', People to People Student Ambassador to the United States 93', had a full fine arts scholarship to the Cleveland Institute of Art 93', Who's Who Among American High School Students 93', and participated in a foreign exchange program in Madrid, Spain 92' at age 15.

"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people" Eleanor Roosevelt

 

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