​Prior to beginning her graduate studies, Melissa Benbow worked fulltime as an academic adviser for TeenSHARP Delaware's CAAT program, a college preparatory and leadership program for minority students with an interest in attending selective colleges. She has a passion for education as a means for mental, spiritual, and economic liberation, particularly for marginalized and underprivileged populations. Her academic interests are black women's literature and museum studies, and she is currently pursuing a comparative study of how mid-twentieth century women of color used writing and visual art to project their vision of national/personal liberation.