Episode 27: Melissa Minaya Part 2
Melissa Minaya, Program Administrator, Legal Aid Bureau
In the second part of Edgar’s interview with Melissa, he learns about her career journey at Harvard. Right out of college, Melissa started working at the Alumni Development of Harvard Business School. She found a great group of co-workers that welcomed her to their group with open arms. She got married while working there and got laid off after the economy crash in 2009. She would return to Harvard part time, working for the Legal Aid Bureau, while also working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in downtown Boston. Eventually, she was able to get a full time position at the HLS LAB and has stayed there until this day. They talk about her role in HLS LAB, her connection with students and the important work they do with community outreach.
He also learns about Melissa’s family, and specifically, her son and how much she learned about Autism since he was born. While he was learning to express his emotions and self-regulate his frustrations, she and her husband learned how to understand and better communicate with their child. They talk about cultural backgrounds and the judgement of behaviors because of that. She also shares stories of her IVF journey and unexpected pregnancies. Melissa gives a beautiful description of how her role as a parent has changed her for the better.
The goal of this podcast is to introduce folks to HLS staff members from across the community. You may recognize the names of some guests, and if you don’t, that’s okay! We hope that you will tune in to learn more about your colleagues—what their role is, what makes them tick, and why they do the work that they do at HLS. If you’re interested in being a guest, please let us know—we would love to hear your story. Our stories bring us together; we come from different backgrounds and serve all different roles, but our shared community at HLS unites us. Let us hear your story!
Filed in: Tell Me Your Story