Melissa Melkonian has dedicated her career to serving children in need. As the founder and principal of American Dream School, a bilingual charter school, Melissa is a leader in the Bronx community, and we are honored to welcome her as the newest member of the Bronx Community Council.

The members of our Community Councils are community leaders willing to raise awareness and support of the Make-A-Wish mission throughout their networks. They help to increase medical referrals of kids, foster strategic volunteerism within their community, and connect with potential donors.

Melissa’s goal in joining the Bronx Community Council was to increase the number of bilingual volunteers in our chapter and to assist families that don’t speak English as their first language. Spanish speaking wish kids and families often outnumber the volunteers who can serve them, sometimes leading to longer wait time for their wishes to be granted. When she became aware of this need, she stepped up to meet the challenge.

Throughout her career, Melissa has been a strong voice for those who may not be able advocate for themselves. Early on, she was a special needs bilingual teacher for fifth through eighth grade students in New York City. She quickly realized that many of her “special needs” students were placed in this class simply because they were English-language learners.

She had been raised in the United States but had strong ties to her Mexican roots, with family in both Texas and throughout Mexico. Melissa felt fortunate to grow up in a bilingual and bicultural household and was disheartened to see what she knew to be a strength considered a weakness in these children.

The idea of the American Dream School was to give students the opportunity to learn and have the richness of their culture celebrated in and out of the classroom. Melissa knew the South Bronx was a community that actively needed a school like this.

Since its establishment in 2014, American Dream has grown from one sixth grade class to 600 students enrolled in their middle and high school campuses. In New York State, less than 5% of high school seniors gradate with the seal of biliteracy. Last year, 62% of graduating seniors from American Dream earned the seal of biliteracy.

We are honored to celebrate Melissa Melkonian - change maker and child-focused advocate – and welcome her to the Make-A-Wish Metro New York Bronx Community Council.