Melanie is an English Professor at Ohlone College in Fremont and a wellness champion in her school community. She has a B.A. in English Literature from UC Berkeley and a master's degree in English TESOL from CSU East Bay. She received her 200-hour yoga teacher training certification in the fall of 2018 and 300-hour in 2023, both through Breathe for Change, a specialized program for educators. Melanie works closely with Latino students at Ohlone and is the Co-Coordinator of the Puente Project, a learning community that provides immense support for under-represented students, so they can attain academic success, transfer to a four-year university, and return as mentors in their communities. She strives to help her students and fellow colleagues decrease their anxiety and stress levels and to improve their overall well-being through the transformative power of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. in 2022, Melanie completed a 30-hour Language Course to Teach Yoga in Spanish with a YACEP instructor, Andrew Singer at Flying Tree Yoga