Melissa Cessna

Current

Intern and Contributor at Monterey County Weekly
Co-Leader, Marketing Chair at MIIS Net Impact
Graduate Student in International Environmental Policy at Monterey Institute of International Studies

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Past

Development Consultant at Team Monterey Three Practicum
Intern at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Relations and
Intern at Manhattan Mercury

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Education

Monterey Institute of International Studies
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, A.Q. Miller School of Journalism

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Connections

49 connections

Industry

Newspapers

Websites

Melissa Cessna’s Summary

Melissa Cessna’s Specialties:

Sustainable development, consumer outreach and education, news, media convergence, public relations, energy policy

Melissa Cessna’s Experience

Intern and Contributor

Monterey County Weekly

(Newspapers industry)

June 2009 — Present (7 months)

-Pitched and wrote more than 23 articles for weekly print version and online news site
-Collaborated for photo shoots
-Assisted in weekly calendar preliminary edit
-Contacted local business and event planners to verify facts for weekly calendar
-Provided guidance to new interns
Co-Leader, Marketing Chair

MIIS Net Impact

(Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

September 2008 — Present (1 year 4 months)

-Promoted Net Impact panels, fundraisers and community outreach events
-Developed chapter strategy in collaboration with two other co-leaders
-Increased membership (both paid and unpaid) by 30 percent from 2008-2009
-Increased the chapter's presence both on campus and in the community, leading Net Impact to sponsor Monterey Institute's Environmental Speaker Series
-Collaborated with leaders from other student groups to host fundraisers and conference panels
Graduate Student in International Environmental Policy

Monterey Institute of International Studies

(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)

August 2008 — Present (1 year 5 months)
Development Consultant

Team Monterey Three Practicum

(International Trade and Development industry)

January 2009 — January 2009 (1 month)

-Collaborated to develop a feasibility study for the expansion of a seed bank network for La Coordinadora, a Salvadorean NGO
-Traveled to villages, interview local farmers on planting methods seed use, and buying and selling behavior
-Worked with La Coordinadora agro-engineers to gather GPS coordinates on land parcels
-Entered and analyzed data to create observations and recommendations for the organization
Intern

Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Relations and

(Higher Education industry)

September 2005 — May 2006 (9 months)

-Wrote articles and edited photographs for AnimaLIFE the animal hospital's magazine
-Prepared press releases for the College of Veterinary Medicine
-Designed promotional material for hospital services and donor programs
-Assisted development officer with alumni outreach projects
Intern

Manhattan Mercury

(Newspapers industry)

October 2004 — September 2005 (1 year )

-Wrote for and designed a once-a-year, four-section special edition of the newspaper
-Wrote local stories for regular edition of newspaper
-Designed page layouts for weekly club section of the newspaper
-Gathered information from Riley County Courthouse about recent arrests and marriages licenses
-Wrote and laid out engagement and wedding announcements

Melissa Cessna’s Education

Monterey Institute of International Studies

Master , International Environmental Policy Studies Language; Spanish , 2008 — 2010 (expected)

Activities and Societies:

Net Impact, Sustainability Council
Kansas State University

Journalism and Mass Communications , Public Relations, Print Journalism, Spanish and Latin American Studies , 2003 — 2007
Kansas State University, A.Q. Miller School of Journalism

Bachelor of Arts , Journalism and Public Relations, Spanish , 2003 — 2007

Activities and Societies:

National Honor Society, Big XII Honor Roll, PR Club, Big XII Athletics