Melissa Garcia is a Reading Language Arts Consultant at Region 18 Education Service Center, bringing over a decade of experience in education. She has served elementary students as a bilingual and dual language teacher in Austin ISD, Mesquite ISD, and Midland ISD. Prior to her current role, Melissa worked in Midland ISD as an Emergent Bilingual Instructional Specialist, supporting language development and academic achievement for multilingual learners. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bilingual Education and a Master’s degree in Multilingual and Multicultural Studies, both from Texas Woman’s University.