Hi! I’m Melissa!

My story is one of belonging.

From a young age I have felt that I did not belong. I felt like an outsider walking through life in an oversized meat suit making awkward attempts to engage with life around me. I was on this Earth without being a part of it. Every conversation or experience felt surreal as if I were watching an elaborate 3-D movie. I did the things that were expected of me. I went to school, I got a job, and I even got married, but something was unmistakably missing.

In 2015, I moved to Florida. It was the beginning of a journey of self-discovery, or self-creation. In the following years I would start a new career, get divorced, complete an MBA in Entrepreneurship, change careers, start my own business, connect with my spirituality and God, start a Ph.D. in Sustainable Education, and build dreams and visions of a new type of education center grounded in nature. It’s been a whirlwind but it all started with me getting curious about where I lived.

When I moved to Florida it was a type of homecoming. While I was born in South Florida, I grew up in New Jersey having no memory of living here. Being tired of the cold northern winters I embraced the heat and grew to love the area that is Palm Beach County. I visited the parks as I have always loved being outdoors. I learned about the history of how Florida was created, the people who lived here, and the environmental issues facing Floridians - people, flora, and fauna alike. I learned about systems theory and further rooted myself to this place. In this process, I became rooted in myself and finally, for the first time, felt that I belonged.

The intention of Elevate Palm Beach is to create opportunities for people to get rooted themselves. We are all connected, we all belong in the here and now. We are all stewards of this Earth that is our home. Sustainability has become a hot topic and a noble cause, however, we must build a foundation of roots. Our roots are our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the land. Without roots, the plant dies no matter how well intentioned our efforts. Get Rooted and meet me at The Bridge.

Professional Background:

In my undergraduate degree I was trained as a student facilitator for my school’s outdoor program. I learned experiential education and grew to love what that type of learning had to offer. This experience brought me to pursue a degree in adventure therapy that combined counseling practices and experiential education, or outdoor education. I worked at an addiction treatment facility for two years as a group coordinator and facilitated both outdoor activities and psychoeducational classes. Due to my personal struggles during that time I decided to take a left turn and change careers and therefore educational degrees. I obtained my MBA in Entrepreneurship from Lynn University and first started Elevate Palm Beach. While building my business, I now work for Lynn University as an adjunct professor and have started a mini-adventure working for a micro-school in Boca Raton. This past summer I started a Ph.D. in Sustainable Education at Prescott College and look forward to using my extensive facilitation skills, my knack for curriculum planning, and passion for connecting you to nature to present the next round of innovation for Elevate Palm Beach in the form of the Rooted Workshop Series and the creation of The Bridge Education Garden.

• Lynchburg College 2003-2007

• Prescott College - Adventure Therapy 2014-2016

• Lynn University - MBA Entrepreneurship 2017-2018

• Prescott College - Ph.D. Sustainable Education 2020-present