Melody was raised in Southern Illinois and Southern California, but has spent most of her adult life either in South Florida or traveling and living overseas.  She graduated from Southern Illinois University with a major in Psychology and a minor in Special Education/Elementary Education.  She is certified to teach Special Ed K-12, Elementary Ed, English as a Second Language and Psychology.  She was a teacher in various positions for 9 years in South Florida, served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Republic of Kiribati as a Teacher Trainer 1999-2001, and as a teacher and Director of Studies for a private ESL language school in South Florida 2004-2005.  This is her 2^nd year as a part-time support staff teacher here at Highland. 

She also works for Educational Testing Services as an online rater for the TOEFL iBT Speaking Test.   Aside from her love for education and making a difference in a child’s learning and discovery of our world, her passions are traveling and exploring other cultures, scuba diving, and holistic health.  Her lifelong interest in leading a healthy lifestyle has led her to become a certified massage therapist.  She has a private practice as a Licensed Massage Therapist here in Anchorage, specializing in Traditional Thai Massage, Zen Shiatsu (Japanese massage), Reflexology, and Therapeutic/Integrative Massage.  Her love for travel has brought her to Anchorage, Alaska to experience and explore the stunning beauty of this wonderful land and its people.

Outside of education, traveling, especially to Africa (Tanzania and Kenya) is her passion. She has spent weeks there the past three summers volunteering in an orphanage, teaching in primary schools and providing basic health services.