Hello, my name is Melissa Franzen and I am excited to pursue a path in teaching. I am a first generation student to go to college in my family. My belief is this: "If I can climb out of poverty, fight a chronic disease (Lupus), and survive many other life challenges but STILL succeed in pursuing my biggest dreams...anyone can." I traveled around the world to places such as Morocco, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and this opened my knowledge to different languages, cuisine, spiritual experiences and opened my heart to build love from all around. Currently, I am studying for my prerequisites to get accepted into the Elementary Education Program at Eastern Washington University. Previously, I studied at MN SE Technical Institution, then I transferred to Spokane Community College, and afterwards I transferred to Eastern Washington University. I recently discovered that my soul path is to become a teacher because I believe I am built to bring out the best in others. I worked with children from all age-groups, learning-levels and diverse cultural backgrounds in Spokane Schools- District 81 of Spokane WA as an Instructional-Aide. My aim in life is to remind a child that they are not forgotten and that they have hope for their future. We are in this together!