Experience

KID Museum
• United States
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Senior Director of Exhibit and Experience Design

  • Feb 2022 - Present


GabrielSensei.com

• Holistic Educator, Experiential learning, Character Coach, Private Educator

  • Aug 2013 - Present

  Work with children (ages 1-15) to help develop character strengths, communication skills, identity, empathy, courage, and grit. Redesign the home to be more child-centric and build awesome maker spaces to help increase agency, autonomy, and hands-on learning. Partner with parents to identify their needs and intentionally design opportunities to help family dynamics grow and meet those needs. Actively adventure; geographically and culturally, to provide a foundation for kids to grow their empathy and confidence in the unknown. Teach with real tools, cool materials, and scaffolding in small doses of danger and excitement to build up their courage and physical abilities. Coach kids with learning differences to self-advocate for their needs and communicate calmly when they aren’t met. The continued trust from parents is an encouragement and challenges me to continually refine my educational practices in child development.


Verso International School
• Thailand
• Education
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Learning Designer

  • Sep 2020 - Jun 2022


Exploratorium

• United States
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
• 300 - 400 Employee

• Tinkering Specialist

  • Aug 2017 - Sep 2018

  Trained youth facilitators in developing their educator identities, methodology, and personal interest in creating. Managed and maintained the Tinkering Studio spatial elements, exhibits, and workshop communication between visitors and staff. Managed tool use, training, & safety with visitors, Tinkering Studio staff, and visiting artists. Implemented a more personable approach to facilitation and a culture of sharing ideas, eager exploration, and persistence. This role brought a deepened awareness that a relationship between myself and the learner is the foundation for the experience.

• Creative Director

  • May 2015 - Apr 2017

  Designed, iterated, and fabricated exhibits that offered multiple pathways of interaction for a variety of ages to build and collaborate. Developed and facilitated thematic curriculum for after school, homeschool and specialized workshops. Led a team of maker educators in their facilitation, workshop design, tool instruction and studio culture. Systematized and managed the organization of digital and physical elements of the museum. Helped to build an empathetic professional workplace culture and guide the organization with both a 20 year outlook and a next-year lens. This position grew my abilities to delegate as well as my creativity as I designed exhibits with intense spatial, time, and financial limitations.



DC Village Learning Cooperative

• Unschooler Guide

  • Aug 2015 - May 2016

  Guided a group of “unschooled” kids (aged 2-11) in their emotional, social, and cognitive development. Set cultural and communication norms to emphasize respectful and empathic relationships. Inspired kids to use all their senses through outdoor adventures with the goal of instilling an appreciation of fire, pocket knives, and the forest. I was reminded of the importance of the teacher-parent relationship and saw how kids use play to process what they can’t communicate.



Future Makers

• Non-profit Organization Management

• Maker Educator

  • May 2013 - May 2015

  Designed and lead maker curricula for after-school programs, summer workshops, library programing and in-school classes. Taught pre-K through middle school students: coding, circuitry, hands on building, and engineering concepts. Students taught me to trust them with their own discovery and that we need to figure out objects by touching them. Designed and lead maker curricula for after-school programs, summer workshops, library programing and in-school classes. Taught pre-K through middle school students: coding, circuitry, hands on building, and engineering concepts. Students taught me to trust them with their own discovery and that we need to figure out objects by touching them.



Smithsonian Institution

• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
• 700 & Above Employee

• Digtal Media Mentor (educator)

  • May 2012 - Mar 2013

  Developed and led graphic design, digital music production, DJing, photography, videography and maker workshops.Designed and implemented a scaffolded badging system to allow access to professional production equipment and space. Mentored DC youth in a free digital media studio called the ArtLab+ funded by the MacArthur Foundation I learned to listen more and discovered that the trust of a DSLR camera can skyrocket self-confidence

• Mentor / Educational Technician

  • Mar 2012 - Mar 2013

  Developed and led graphic design, digital music production, DJing, photography, videography and maker workshops.Designed and implemented a scaffolded badging system to allow access to professional production equipment and space. Mentored DC youth in a free digital media studio connected to the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum. I learned to listen more and discovered that the trust of a DSLR camera can skyrocket self-confidence.



Voice Talent

• Broadcast Media Production and Distribution

• Voice Talent

  • Jun 2006 - Jan 2009

  Freelance Voice talent. Voice recording for ESL teaching materials and training. Freelance Voice talent. Voice recording for ESL teaching materials and training.


GabrielMellan.com
• Design & photography

  • 2004 - Dec 2008

Modern English
• United States
• Public Relations and Communications Services
• 1 - 100 Employee
• ESL teacher

  • Oct 2006 - Dec 2006

MAC Cosmetics
• Personal Care Product Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee
• Assistant Manager

  • Feb 2006 - Apr 2006

America World Adoption
• United States
• Individual and Family Services
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Graphic Designer

  • Jul 2000 - Dec 2005