Horticulture
Melissa Lisbão-Underwood
Youth And Visitor Education Intern, Morris Arboretum
Philadelphia,Pennsylvania
Summary
I am a hardworking educator with a passion for community-development and horticulture. I have ten years of experience as a teacher of a diverse range of students, and have volunteered as an ESL teacher and a conservationist. For the past year I have worked at the Morris Arboretum, organizing events, developing relationships and engaging the Arboretum community. I am confident, organized and collaborative, with strong communication skills and a desire to make the world a more integrated, more beautiful place.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
2
2
Languages
Work History
Youth and Visitor Education Intern
Morris Arboretum
Philadelphia, PA
03.2022 - Current
- Collaborated with adults and children to provide safe and educational experience.
- Chose materials and developed activities to connect plants with people.
- Supervised volunteers and edited monthly Volunteer Newsletter.
- Oversaw ACLAMO summer camp; developed engaging, educational STEAM activities; met with counselors; organized and facilitated field trips.
- Organized the Outdoor Career Symposium for high school students of under-resourced schools. Built relationships with and recruited professionals to share their skills with students.
- Developed and taught several classes, including 'nature journaling'.
Project Supervisor
Art Academy Of Highland Park
Highland Park, United States
11.2021 - Current
- Supervised high school students as they developed portfolios for a range of college tracks including fine arts, architecture, and fashion design.
- Worked with students to adjust project plans to account for dynamic targets, staffing changes and operational specifications.
- Maintained tactical control of project budgets and timelines to keep students on task and achieve schedule targets.
- Partnered with project team members to identify and quickly address problems.
- Offered constructive feedback regarding work performance.
Swim Instructor
Robert Wood Johnson Fitness And Wellness Center
New Brunswick, NJ
09.2014 - 12.2021
- Taught daily swim instruction to students varying in ages and skill levels, beginner to advanced, privately and in groups.
- Diversified teaching methods to accommodate all learning styles.
- Developed and taught 'mommy and me' group classes to parents and their infants.
- Offered support and encouragement, especially to students with prior negative experiences in the water.
Violin Teacher
Monmouth Music Academy
Marlboro, NJ
08.2020 - 11.2021
- Worked one-on-one with students of all ages, young children and adults of various backgrounds.
- Adapted teaching methods according to various learning-styles.
- communicated musical concepts in concrete, practical ways.
- Instructed students on theory, musicality and technique to develop skills and performance.
- offered encouragement and critique.
Intern
Environmental Education Fund
Trenton, NJ
03.2015 - 03.2021
- Developed blog content for website
- Organized and publicized film festivals
- Analyzed problems and worked with teams to develop solutions.
ESL Volunteer Teacher
Pro-Literacy New Jersey
Highland Park, NJ
03.2020 - 01.2021
- Developed and taught ESL curriculum in one-on-one virtual setting to language learner who could not afford to pay.
- Increased student's confidence in language-learning ability
- Increased ESL students' reading level, listening comprehension level and verbal communication skills.
Conservation Corps Member
Utah Conservation Corps
Moab, UT
06.2017 - 08.2017
- Used hand saws and power equipment to remove unwanted and diseased trees.
- Built fences.
- Removed debris from national park camp sites.
- Planted and tended to native trees and shrubs.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Violin Performance, Minor in Agriculture
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ 09.2014 - 06.2018
Skills
Group and individual instruction
Differentiated instruction
Peer mentoring
Adult Education
Curriculum Development
Classroom management
Community outreach
Event organization
Fine arts and design
Conservation
Writing
Interests
Art
Music
Diversity and Inclusion
Language-learning
Writing
Nutrition and food-access equality
Cooking
spanish
My mother is from Brazil and I grew up speaking some Portuguese. After working with a lot of Spanish-speakers, I taught myself the language and am now C1 level. I am an avid language-learner and think Spanish is a really important language to know. I am looking forward to speaking it in the work-place.
Timeline
Youth and Visitor Education Intern
Morris Arboretum
03.2022 - Current
Project Supervisor
Art Academy Of Highland Park
11.2021 - Current
Violin Teacher
Monmouth Music Academy
08.2020 - 11.2021
ESL Volunteer Teacher
Pro-Literacy New Jersey
03.2020 - 01.2021
Conservation Corps Member
Utah Conservation Corps
06.2017 - 08.2017
Intern
Environmental Education Fund
03.2015 - 03.2021
Bachelor of Arts - Violin Performance, Minor in Agriculture
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
09.2014 - 06.2018
Swim Instructor
Robert Wood Johnson Fitness And Wellness Center
09.2014 - 12.2021