Not only is Ms. Melissa Wilson a Physical Education teacher at Armijo, but she is also the coach for varsity Softball team. For the last two years, Ms. Wilson has taught at Armijo. “I don’t even want to teach at any other school,” she said. She became a teacher “to influence my students in a positive way and to make a difference in their lives,” Ms. Wilson said. She also wants to try and make an impact on students, no matter how big or small. She said that she wants her students to know that they have an adult in their corner.

Before becoming a teacher, Ms. Wilson was an Operations and Logistics manager for a sporting goods retailer. “My job was to ensure that we made our yearly budget of $8 million.” It was a job with a lot of financial responsibility, but her focus goes way beyond the bottom line.

If she could make any changes to Armijo, she knows exactly what she would do. “Being born and raised in Fairfield and learning about the history of the area, I was proud that we were Indians,” she said. While she does not hate the fact that we are now the Armijo Royals, she does pine for the days when we were the Indians, like when she was a student at Armijo.

Ms. Wilson graduated from Armijo and moved on to Sacramento City College. From there, she received a softball scholarship to Athens State University in Athens , Alabama and eventually returned to Armijo as a teacher. As a student , many coaches influenced her to pursue that career. “My math teacher Mr. Price , my history teacher Mr. Fulton , and my chemistry teacher Ms. Gordon,” she listed. And she would share that same advice with other students considering a career in teaching. “Just do it!” she said, quoting a current Nike slogan.

Ms. Wilson enjoys teaching and coaching, but she also likes to attend as many as Oakland A’s games as she can. “I enjoy fishing and anything that requires me being outside,” she said. “Most weekends you’ll find me spending time with my little seven year old nephew.”

While the Shelter at Home has allowed more outside activities, Ms. Wilson said that she misses being at school. “I miss… laughing with all my students , saying hi as I pass them on my prep , and playing music way too loud in the locker room on Fridays. I miss softball. I hope to see everyone soon!”