MELISSA FERNANDEZ (melleSOL), leadership trainer, youth development specialist, artist, poet. Dedicated to the empowerment of young people and the deliberate cultivation of young leaders, Melissa has designed and implemented leadership curricula focusing on self concept, group dynamics, team building and community service. In the face of a failing public school system that inadequately prepares youth for higher education and economic opportunities, she is determined to teach young leaders how to advocate for themselves, think critically and be a positive influence on their peers and in their community. Graduate of New York University’s School of Education, she holds a B.S. and M.A. in speech language pathology and audiology.As a poet and artist, melleSOL and twin sister, Mariposa founded SISTAHS UNDERGROUND in the late 1990's, an artistic initiative meant to provide a platform for established and emerging poets, playwrites and other creative spirits. Throughout a successful 2 year run, SOL in the Heights @ Cafe Largo built community and brought together poets from all over, boasted some of the most famous underground poets on the scene and witnessed many who were just emerging. Their unspoken motto: If you're bold enough to try, we ain't scared to let you. And in that spirit, Sistahs Underground created an environment that honored the artist and made it safe for those who had never spoken into a microphone, to speak their truths in front of an audience. The series later moved down to the east side of Harlem, SOL in El Barrio at Edwin's Cafe and then finally reborn last year in the BX where the people are fresh as BX Bohemia at El Maestro's Cultural Center. The next incarnation? Who knows... but definitely stay tuned.It was during this time that melleSOL, also co-founder of The Blackout Arts Collective, began sharing her work publically and has since then been invited to read her poetry at numerous venues, colleges and universities throughout NYC and beyond. She is also a born again visual artist who paints in tongues, catches creative fits, has been called "a late bloomer" by her mother and is currently in recovery from being painfully shy for many years. She is also the star client of her own personal freedom therapy:)
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In a people's poll, melleSOL has been described as:
able,
accepting,
adaptable,
bold,
brave,
calm,
caring,
cheerful,
clever,
complex,
confident,
crazy,
dignified,
energetic,
extroverted,
friendly,
giving,
happy,
helpful,
independent,
ingenious,
intelligent (52% of people agree),
introverted,
kind,
knowledgeable,
logical,
loving,
mature,
modest,
observant,
organized,
patient,
powerful,
proud,
reflective,
relaxed,
responsive,
searching,
self-conscious,
self-assertive,
shy,
silly,
spontaneous,
trustworthy,
warm,
wierd,
wise,
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