Melissa Van Oss

Career Path: Higher Education Administration
My path into higher education administration did not begin in a classroom — it began in one, standing before a room full of TRIO students at North Carolina Central University and recognizing myself in every face looking back at me.
As a first-generation college student who navigated higher education without a road map, I understood intimately what those students carried — the self-doubt, the financial pressure, the quiet fear of not truly belonging. That recognition became a calling.
Since that first TRIO Student Academic Services Conference in April 2024, I have returned to NCCU repeatedly, collaborating closely with Mr. Dekendrick Murray, Ms. Brielle McCaden, and Ms. Carol Mabiala to develop and facilitate student success workshops for TRIO, Upward Bound, and First-Year students. Each experience has deepened my conviction that this work — building systems and spaces where underrepresented students feel seen, supported, and empowered — is exactly where I belong.
My immediate goal is to serve as a Graduate Assistant on Mr. Murray's student success team while completing my Master's degree in Higher Education Administration at NCCU. Long term, I intend to build a full-time career at the intersection of program development, student advocacy, and institutional support — creating sustainable initiatives that ensure first-generation and underrepresented students have not only access to opportunity, but the unwavering belief that they deserve it.
Higher education gave me the tools to rebuild my life. My career will be devoted to ensuring it does the same for every student who walks through its doors.

North Carolina Central University

About Me: Beyond the Classroom
When I am not facilitating workshops or buried in graduate coursework, you will find me living a life that is equal parts purposeful and peaceful.
Writing is my oldest passion — long before I became a three-time number one bestselling author, I was simply a girl who believed words had the power to change things. That belief has never left me. In fact, when my first grade teacher announced we would be learning to read and receiving our very first Frog & Toad book, I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I turned and kissed the boy sitting beside me in class. Some passions announce themselves early. Reading and writing have always been mine.

I have a deep affection for classic black and white films — particularly film noir. There is something about the sharp dialogue, moral complexity, and atmospheric storytelling of that era that feels timeless. Give me a rainy afternoon, a good noir film, and a quiet room and I am completely content.
Nature and meditation are my reset buttons. Whether walking through a park, sitting quietly outdoors, or simply breathing intentionally, I find that stillness sharpens everything — my thinking, my patience, and my presence with others.

Animals hold a permanent place in my heart. Their unconditional loyalty and joy are genuinely good for the soul.

Above everything, family is my foundation. The people I love most have shaped every version of me — through loss, rebuilding, laughter, and everything in between.

Together, these passions remind me that a well-rounded life makes a well-rounded educator. I bring my whole self into every room I enter — and I would not have it any other way.