In 2010, Melody completed her Ph.D. degree from Temple University,
where she later worked as an adjunct. She also worked as a Post-doctoral
researcher at University of Pennsylvania. Her research focused on
urban poverty, with an emphasis on race and ethnicity, and on housing
mobility. She worked on the Moving to Opportunity Study, which
researched policy, public health, and neighborhood poverty.
While at Messiah she served as a teaching assistant. She views studying and teaching Sociology as a way to carry out the call in Micah 6:8 to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.
My experience in Messiah's Sociology department was great preparation for graduate school. Not only did I feel prepared academically, but several of my professors served as mentors in helping me think about graduate school and assisting me with the application and decision process. My time at Messiah allowed me to cultivate a very grounded sense of who I am and what my goals for my vocation are. Who I am is somehow connected to every Messiah classroom discussion about sociology and faith, every chapel service about social justice and Christianity, every late night talk with roommates about living out our faith.