Melissa Lovitz graduated in 2015 with a BA in HDFS and a minor in public policy. At UConn, she participated in the HDFS honors program, which was a highlight of her undergraduate experience. The major’s small cohort of honors students and the individualized attention from her thesis advisor, honors advisor, and teaching assistants were unforgettable. Her experience writing an undergraduate thesis was a catapult into a lifelong journey of studying and teaching about families and children. Her honors research focused on family engagement in education and used approaches inspired by community-based research that highlighted parents’ voices. Nearly 10 years later, she is still researching this topic!
After graduating from UConn, Melissa earned her master’s degree in urban education policy at Brown University. In addition to coursework, she interned with a parent advocacy group at a local charter school and helped teach parents the skills to testify at public hearings about school choice. She also worked on challenging traditional ideas about parent engagement. Relatedly, she published a paper on urban parents’ school engagement. Melissa also gained valuable experience as a research and teaching assistant in Education. The research skills she gained at UConn made her a competitive applicant for these opportunities. She presented about family engagement in education at a national conference in collaboration with her undergraduate and graduate mentors. She also was able to use her HDFS background to bring a unique lens to understanding education policy; she was not satisfied with only averages and statistics, but wanted to be mindful of children and families as individuals. This challenge was what solidified her path in HDFS-related jobs and education moving forward.
After receiving her master’s degree, Melissa worked as a research study coordinator at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center. There, she learned from some of the best in the field – including Dr. Brazelton himself! – about supporting families and young children and the essential role of research in funding family and community programming and documenting child and family outcomes.
In 2018, Melissa joined the Tufts Child Study and Human Development Ph.D. program, where she worked with Dr. Ann Easterbrooks and Dr. Jayanthi Mistry to deepen her understanding of parenting and families. Her dissertation research focused on understanding the parent-teacher relationship in early childhood education. She used responses from teachers and parents to identify areas of convergence and divergence regarding their perceptions of that critical partnership. Her honors thesis advisor, Dr. Alaina Brenick, attended her dissertation defense, demonstrating the lasting relationships and advice she received from her UConn mentors. During her Ph.D. program, Melissa also developed a love for teaching. She moved from being a teaching assistant to a teaching fellow and finally to an adjunct professor at Boston College, strengthening her pedagogical skills and confirming her desire to pursue a career path in teaching in higher education.
In 2023, Melissa became a full-time HDFS faculty member at Queens College, where she can connect her passion for teaching and urban education with her vast knowledge and experience with HDFS. Melissa fondly remembers the compassion of her instructors and the relationships she built with faculty members at UConn – many of which are still strong today! She strives to be an approachable, caring, equity-minded educator and build authentic relationships with her students. Those relationships were so meaningful to her as an undergraduate, so she knows it’s important for her students, too!
Melissa lives in Queens, NY, with her two rabbits – Freyja and Oakley. She is a licensed foster care provider. She enjoys singing with her choir, attending Broadway shows, exploring green spaces around NYC, and finding unique coffee shops around the city. She is so proud of her time at UConn and grateful for all it inspired!