Our Story.
The ADS Story.
Melissa Meza Melkonian has long-held the vision to start a school for English language learners and immigrant students. Melissa’s parents came to the United States as undocumented immigrants from Mexico. They worked very hard for little pay, a situation familiar to many undocumented workers and their families.
Because Melissa's family only spoke Spanish, she struggled in elementary school as she sought to learn in a language she didn't initially speak. She did not have the support of a "transitional" or “dual language” program where she could still use her native language, the language she knew how to speak, read, and write. Only in fifth grade did she begin receiving English as a Second Language (ESL) services.
Despite these challenges, Melissa ultimately learned English, graduated from high school and then college, became a teacher and later a school leader, and started a family. Melissa has fulfilled the hopes of her parents, who came to the United States so that their children would be able to live the "American dream."
The idea for The American Dream School came from Melissa's personal experience coupled with research pertaining to student performance in the South Bronx, where many student from immigrant families are underserved in all educational settings. Melissa earned an Ed.M. in Educational Leadership at Columbia University's Teachers College. She completed the rigorous training of the Summer Principals Academy, which provided her with the tools she needed to make her vision a reality.
Many immigrant groups struggle to achieve academic success. They are not provided with the foundation to achieve the "American dream." Since 2014, The American Dream School has been helping students to succeed in two languages through a dual-language model and balanced educational practices
“I want to transform the lives of students."
“The daughter of once-undocumented immigrants, Melkonian spent more than a decade in New York City public education before founding her own charter school catering to immigrants and English Language Learners,” - PIX11's Monica Morales. (Full article here.)
— Melissa Melkonian, Founder and Head of The American Dream School
