Meet Melissa!
The Doermer School of Business has welcomed a new advisor, Get to know Melissa Montes.
Hi, my name is Melissa Montes and I grew up for half my life in Southern California and the other in Fort Wayne, IN. I graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a Major in Human Development & Family Studies and took a gap year to explore my interests through internships. This took me to Oahu, HI to work as an outdoor education intern for school programs & retreats at the YMCA Camp as well as a child and youth program intern for the Department of Navy Fleet and Family Readiness Division in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After gaining some experience, I decided to come back to Fort Wayne to start my career. I was fortunate to start my career working as an academic advisor for first-generation and/or income-eligible high school students to mentor them towards successful post-secondary education with a federally funded program at PFW called TRIO Upward Bound. I decided in 2020 to go back to school and pursue my MBA through the accelerated MBA program here at PFW and finished in July 2021!
- What do you like to do in your free time?
I love to just relax and learn about different random things! Currently, I am into trying different recipes I come across on Tiktok. I also enjoy spending time with my two cockapoo babies Coco and Perlita.
- Why did you choose to work as an Advisor?
After receiving my MBA, I explored a different career outside of Higher Education but missed student interaction, so when I saw the advisor position open for the Doermer School of Business I applied right away. I get to combine my education and experience from PFW with my passion to help students succeed in their personal and educational journeys.
- What are three things you will advise students?
1. Believe in yourself to set high personal and academic standards and live up to them: Speak your abilities into existence and listen to that loud voice that says, "I can do this."
2. Don't compare yourself to your classmates: Everyone is navigating a different path based on their own experiences and that is okay. Do not hold yourself to someone else's standard.
3. Meet with your academic/faculty advisor: We are here for you and will point you in the right direction with resources that can be essential to your success at PFW and beyond.
- Were you introverted or extroverted in your college years?
I was and still am an introvert through and through, but I never shied away from getting out of my comfort zone during my college years by joining various organizations or even going to an event alone. I have definitely learned to leverage my strengths as an introvert to be a better professional and most importantly in my new position as an academic advisor.
