Melody has been working as an ELA and ELD teacher for the past five years. She was born and raised in South East Los Angeles and is proud of her Chicana roots. Storytelling has always been important to her, and she takes any opportunity she can to write short stories, make visual art, record short films, and act in plays.
In undergrad, she went to the University of Southern California and studied Narrative Studies. While there, she got involved in educational opportunities to give back to her SELA community. At the Joint Educational Project, she served as a volunteer teaching environmental science and geology to K-5 students in South Central. She also taught summer programming through the Children’s Defense Fund, and studied abroad in New Zealand where she was able to work with local elementary schools.
Melody pursued her passion for education by studying at Harvard where she received a Masters in secondary English instruction. After serving as an ELA teacher in the Los Angeles area for three years, she was drawn to the project-based learning model offered at Latitude. Melody now serves as an ELD teacher and lead, offering language classes to newcomers, and helping teachers make content more accessible to ELLs.
She loves getting to learn about her students, and helping them find their community here in the Bay Area. She aims to create classroom spaces focused on risk taking, joy, collaboration, and creativity. When not working, she loves to try new food spots, play board games, garden, and sing.