Nice to meet you!
I’m Melinda Oakes, now from Ithaca, New York. I’m a military brat by birth and the majority of my formative years were spent in Kansas, which I consider “home.” I spent years at Ft. Riley and Ft. Leavenworth/Lansing and attended K-State as an undergrad in the 90’s. English is my only language, though once upon a time was proficient in Spanish. It’s true – if you don’t use it, you lose it!
Academically, after earning a B.A. in Communications from Kansas State University, I went on to earn a master's in elementary education from the University of Hartford (CT), a master's in public affairs from the University of Missouri, and now I’m seeking a TESOL certificate through this program. I plan to use the knowledge for the next chapters of my life as a volunteer at a local adult EL program in Ithaca called Open Doors English.
In addition to my current volunteer endeavors with ODE, my only classroom teaching experience comes from two semesters of student teaching, once during my undergraduate years and once during my master's. I thoroughly enjoyed it but stepped onto a different career path as I was wrapping up my master's degree. To that point, I spent 20 years with Hallmark, Madison Square Garden, and LEGO Company before transitioning into the private philanthropy sector where I’ve worked since 2015.
Growing up in a military family, I had the opportunity to live in Germany for three years and then as an adult, I lived in Australia for one year for work. I've traveled as much as possible in all of the in-between years and have visited 15 countries and counting.
My goals are to be a lifelong learner and to continuously gain skills I can put to use for the better of my community. I’m interested in the role AI does/will play in ENL instruction and assessment as well as the necessity of and driving factors of motivation. Finally, I am a policy wonk both by profession and in my soul. I want to gain as much boots-on-the-ground experience as possible on the subject of TESOL so that I can speak intelligently and influentially on the subject.
Academically, after earning a B.A. in Communications from Kansas State University, I went on to earn a master's in elementary education from the University of Hartford (CT), a master's in public affairs from the University of Missouri, and now I’m seeking a TESOL certificate through this program. I plan to use the knowledge for the next chapters of my life as a volunteer at a local adult EL program in Ithaca called Open Doors English.
In addition to my current volunteer endeavors with ODE, my only classroom teaching experience comes from two semesters of student teaching, once during my undergraduate years and once during my master's. I thoroughly enjoyed it but stepped onto a different career path as I was wrapping up my master's degree. To that point, I spent 20 years with Hallmark, Madison Square Garden, and LEGO Company before transitioning into the private philanthropy sector where I’ve worked since 2015.
Growing up in a military family, I had the opportunity to live in Germany for three years and then as an adult, I lived in Australia for one year for work. I've traveled as much as possible in all of the in-between years and have visited 15 countries and counting.
My goals are to be a lifelong learner and to continuously gain skills I can put to use for the better of my community. I’m interested in the role AI does/will play in ENL instruction and assessment as well as the necessity of and driving factors of motivation. Finally, I am a policy wonk both by profession and in my soul. I want to gain as much boots-on-the-ground experience as possible on the subject of TESOL so that I can speak intelligently and influentially on the subject.