Melissa (she/her) grew up in Mexico and moved to the U.S when she was 7 years old. Her spark and curiosity towards nature stemmed from her grandfather, who worked as a farm worker, and on his off days would take her to watch hummingbirds in their garden. Her curiosity of nature blossomed in school, and she decided she wanted to make it her career to honor her grandfather. She gained her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies at Cal State San Marcos, where her knowledge of the diverse ecosystems San Diego had to offer expanded as well as her passions. She discovered her interest in environmental education, climate advocacy, and environmental justice and went on to a career in the Environmental Education field. 
Melissa has now worked for many environmental nonprofits all over San Diego County doing outreach, K-12 education, and advocacy work over the past 6 years. She strives to connect people to nature through education because, "everyone deserves the right to be in nature. And everyone deserves the right to education. So why not find a place where both can work in harmony and better our communities?" At Earth Discovery Institute, she gets to do just that! She can't wait to continue teaching youth about the environment, help Spanish speaking communities connect with EDI's programs, and learn new things from both EDI and the resilient students she meets along the way.