MY LIFE MAP

The Life and Times of ME

Melissa Buot-FavazzaNovoEd: Story Telling for Change09Sept14

I WAS BORN

DIARY OF A LITTLE KID

Ran around the yard in the rain with just diapers on

Played with the dogs

Climbed trees

Skinned my knees

Our family “car” was a motorcycle

Always wanted to go to school…so Mom cheated and

told them I was 5 years old so I can go to kindergarten.

This was taken in Cebu

City, I think I was around

10 yrs. Old. (that’s me

with the red dress on –

the runt)

Three years later, in 1973,

we left for America. The

whole family took off and

flew to Japan and then

Hawaii…landing in San

Francisco. Stayed with

relatives and then went

to DETROIT.

So Here I am in America. Really???? Wow. Culture shock anyone? But it was cool. We got here in May so I had

some time to explore before school started.Now about school…I was 13 yrs. old so they figured I

belonged in middle school. They looked at my records and said “She’s got high school credits” already, she needs to go across the street to the high school. Well then, there you go!

AND SO HERE WE ARE

Big brother takes off for the

Air Force.

Big Sister later on

graduates from HS and

went to U of M Ann Arbor.

Left me at home with

parents.

Heeee Haaawwwww!

THE COLLEGE YEARS

1976-1982

2 years Nursing – switched to Dietetics

BS in Home Economics/Food Service Management

BS in Business Administration

Minor Psychology and Social Sciences

Minor in Dance

REALLY!

NEVER A STRAIGHT PATH

HI HO H I HO IT ’S OFF TO WORK WE GO

BEEN THERE

DONE THAT…

NEVER ENOUGH $$$$$

WHAT I DID

Food Service Management

Catering/Dietetics/Nutrition

Volunteering

Business Consulting

Training

Caregiving

Tutoring

Mentoring

Non-Profit

Board of Directors

FLASHING THROUGH 17 YEARS

Got married

No kids, just dogs and

cats

Got divorced

Went home to parents

Took care of parents

Both parents passed

within 4 months of each

other in the same year.

MISTAKES

Made too many

Learned them all

Found my passion

Came full circle

Mistakes my own

No one to blame

What I was then

Became who I am.

LESSONS

Yearning for the sweetness of Learning

My mom was a teacher, Dad taught martial arts…So I’ve been in and around education for all of my life. My path was never a straight one…discombobulated, extreme curves and maybe this time circling back to what I really was meant to do. I’ve always wanted to be either a cop or a teacher. Dad didn’t want me to be a cop and my mom discouraged me from teaching. Never knew why she did that but here I am…in some form or another I’ve been doing some kind of teaching. I did training and staff development when I was in management. I taught dance. I taught martial arts and self-defense. I volunteered as a tutor and loved it. I also loved learning. I’m a perpetual student and following my dad’s advise of learn from others and owning it…I’ve been learning through online classes, from my colleagues, from my peers. I read constantly.

I suppose one can guess that I really like teaching and learning. So I can call that my passion. I figured out my purpose through one of many epiphanies…that I am here in this world to teach and make a difference in people’s lives.