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Biography:

Melissa Steinman was raised in Ashland, Oregon. Hoping to fly rescue helicopters, Melissa applied and was accepted to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.  She reported for training weeks after she graduated from high school. 

Melissa’s unit was deployed to New York City and then to Boston, MA after the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center.   Months after completing this deployment, the unit was deployed to Guantanamo Bay Cuba.  After returning from Cuba, Melissa became the first female in the history of the unit to qualify as a tactical boat driver. Soon after, the unit received orders to Kuwait and Iraq, where Melissa spent most of 2004.

Returning to school immediately after this deployment, it quickly became clear to Melissa she was not the same as when she left.  Overseas she was a highly effective leader with no question of her abilities. Now, she was easily startled, struggled to pay attention in class, rarely slept during the night and spent most of the day in pain from the broken ankle received on deployment.  After graduating with a Bachelors of Science, Melissa moved home to Oregon and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  After Melissa graduated with a Masters of Arts in Teaching, she was made aware of The Mission Continues Fellowship Program. With hopes of eventually earning a Ph.D. and teaching full time, Melissa's fellowship with the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center allows her to apply her strengths and enhance science education programs in her community.

Melissa will be using her teaching license and training to develop and implement new curriculum to expand the educational impact of the Center. She will also be traveling to local schools and informal education groups with animals to provide education programs.  She is excited to have the opportunity to network with local teachers and school administrators who can help guide and mentor her in her future as a teacher.

In Her Words:

During my military service, I learned that most people take pride in the work that they do and they want their work to be viewed as meaningful and valuable. On most of our deployments we had to cooperate with other services in order to share supplies or equipment. This gave me the opportunity to talk to other service members and led me to realize that they were happy to do work for us, or provide us with equipment, as it allowed them to do what they were good at. It gave their job greater meaning and value. On future projects, I was sure to show my appreciation and share with people how their work had helped us complete our mission. As a result, my requests for assistance were often fulfilled and work requests were promptly approved. These acts earned me the call sign "Mojo," the Cuban ingredient that brings all of the flavors together.

Civilian service is very similar; I am fortunate to be able to gift my time to an important organization. In doing so I am showing them that their work is valuable and meaningful. Working with my own strengths allows me to feel effective in what I do. Likewise, committing time to help people in need shows those people that they are valuable. I am always aware that I never complete a project all by myself. I am simply one ingredient in the recipe, the "Mojo," the ingredient that brings other people together. Working together we do more than any of us could do alone. Using our strengths, we are able to instill value and meaning in the lives of others. Sometimes it just takes someone recognizing the strengths in others in order to mobilize a community to make change.