Bio
Bio - Melinda Johnston
Melinda’s passion for teaching began in the water 33 years ago as an aquatics professional instructing many people from different cultures and ages how to swim. She soon discovered that there was language barriers and economic limitations that newcomers were facing in obtaining water safety training. Melinda returned to post-secondary education to get her Adapted Aquatics Kinesiology diploma at Red Deer College and her Sociology degree from the University of Calgary to advocate for newcomers facing economic constraints, in accessing training for sports. However, Melinda’s path changed after she became a voluntary ESL tutor supporting international students and newcomers in the Red Deer community. After the pandemic hit in 2020, Melinda worked 2 years, teaching internationally online for two of the biggest Chinese ESL companies as an TEFL teacher contractor. Currently Melinda, is completing her Level 1 TESL Canada Teacher training certificate and teaches swimming privately. In her spare time, Melinda loves to garden, learn language, and do photography.