Melissa Baker
Co-Founder & Director of Curriculum
Melissa Baker is a seasoned science educator with over 15 years of experience teaching various science courses, including chemistry, physical science, and nanotechnology at Newport High School. She holds a Master’s degree in Science Education from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry. Currently, she is a University of Washington in the High School teacher, instructing students in the course, “Brain & Addiction.”
As the co-executive director of the non-profit organization Wise Camps, Melissa is dedicated to fulfilling the mission of helping children develop a passion for learning math and science. Since the camp’s inception, Wise Camps has welcomed thousands of students, and many have returned as teachers, a testament to the impact of Melissa’s work.
After discovering that her high school students were introduced to substances like nicotine, THC, and alcohol during their middle school years, Melissa was motivated to create the “Know Before We Grow” lesson specifically designed for fifth-graders. Melissa is dedicated to creating engaging, informative, and memorable lessons for her students, and she takes pride in her ability to translate highly specialized content into age-appropriate and accessible material for all learners.
While Melissa’s professional accomplishments are impressive, her most important role is being a mother to her five-year-old twins, Ted and Brooke. Outside of work and family, Melissa enjoys working out and listening to podcasts. Additionally, she actively volunteers with her children’s PTA, demonstrating her commitment to education and her community.
Brock Gjesdal
Co-Founder & Lead Presenter
Brock Gjesdal is currently employed as an EMT and is on the path to medical school. Brock’s fascination with the brain comes as the result of the unfortunate struggle of his late grandfather with Primary Progressive Aphasia – a neurodegenerative disease. In an attempt to turn a difficult life experience into a positive one, shortly after the diagnosis, Brock decided to pursue dual degrees in Neuroscience and Biochemistry at the University of Washington.
Throughout the four years at UW, a passion for the study of the brain was born. More significant was Brock’s realization that so many of the people he knew had never learned how the substances one might encounter in college can alter the structure of the brain for years to come, if not the rest of their life. It’s through this realization that Brock came to question how many instances such as his grandfather’s could be avoided through adequate education of our youth about the significant alterations certain substances can have on one’s health, personality, and ability to process complex ideas.
“It is for this very reason that I am so proud to be involved in the development, and teaching of the Know Before We Grow program. To me, this program is a chance to do something incredibly powerful. This program is a chance to help our youth become all that they can be. I see Know Before We Grow as an active recognition to our responsibility as adults to elevate youth agency to make health informed decisions by educating them upon how substance use will alter their perception of, and interaction with, the world on a short-term, but more importantly long-term basis.
Whether it is the decrease in the production of the primary molecule involved in motivation, retraining of the attention center of the brain, rewiring of the brain toward impulsive behavior, introduction of depression, or the loss of brain cells that cannot be recovered, substance use objectively impedes the development of children from reaching their full potential. Therefore, we believe that by educating our youth about how these changes in the brain are induced by substance use, we can do everything in our power to help them become the happiest, most focused, and complex-thinking adults they were always meant to be.”