Melissa Chavarria was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley in San Juan, TX. She attended St. Edward’s University and majored in Political Science and Sociology. Upon completing her Undergraduate program where she gained multiple years of career counseling experience, mentoring, and legal aid, she moved to Bridgeport, CT to complete a year of service with Americorps. Once she returned to Texas, she joined the KTC Austin team as their Career Integration Specialist and completed her Master in Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.