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
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