In the interest of full disclosure: I went to high school with Melia Dicker. I think I speak for my classmates and teachers when I say we all knew she was destined for great things.

We were right.

Melia is inspiring because she’s not someone who merely desires change, she is out in the world doing what she can to make it happen.  Since graduating from University of Santa Clara in 2002, Melia has co-founded not one, but two non-profit organizations targeted at inspiring and changing education for children today.  The first, Spark, works to encourage under-privileged youth by providing them with apprenticeships in career fields of their choice. And the The Institute for Democratic Education in America (IDEA) is an organization which strives to bridge the gap between the philosophies of democracy and our current educational system.

As if this wasn’t enough, Melia went on to explore introspective changes as well. Thus began her third project, “Reschool Yourself.”  Not unlike Billy Madison, the movie character played by Adam Sandler in 1995, she took herself back to school. But quite unlike Billy, Melia was hoping to understand herself, learn more about her education, and examine the way the two are connected.  She has documented her experience on her website, reschoolyourself.com, I highly recommend checking it out; Melia’s writing is approachable, entertaining, and informative. I have had so much fun reading about her experiences and progress. Secretly, I sometimes wish I was living her life, and I feel excited when she writes about something we have in common, (hint: vision boards!). It’s clear that her experiment is not finite; it has become more of a philosophy, or way of life, and the world is better for it.

Take some time to explore Melia’s projects, linked above,  and see her Magpie List!