Melissa Gilbert (yr 2), Parent Advocate
Faculty: Gina Pola-Money
Melissa is a mom, wife, dedicated tomato grower and master home project starter. She currently lives in Nampa, ID with 3 of her 4 kids, her husband, a needy German shepherd and an obnoxious cat. Two of her kids are high school students, one works full-time and lives at home and one works full-time and lives with his father in Washington.
Navigating complex insurance requirements, locating providers and finding the right advice became a constant in her life with a very early ADHD diagnosis for her oldest child. Three of her children, the oldest and two daughters, have complex medical issues. Her youngest child has ADHD like his older brother and his adult-diagnosed mom. Testing for autism has been recommended for her younger daughter and will be another journey through a system with overburdened providers and resources.
Melissa has not always been a mom, but motherhood strengthened her seemingly inborn traits to seek equity, tolerance and knowledge. She practices these in discussions with her husband while he enters his second year in his MSW program at BSU. The pandemic has made her risk-management assessments from her former job as a Quality Assurance Technician useful again and her greatest skill is turning a ten minute decision into a 3-day research project.
She hopes to learn, grow and offer her perspective as she participates in the URLEND program and she just might figure out what she wants to do with her upcoming empty-nest years.