One of the blessings of the in-and-out military lifestyle is that extraordinary people pop out of nowhere and bless the community in amazing ways. Captain Avaris Murray, 91st Operations Group, and Dakota Elementary teacher Melvina Murray are one such amazing couple.

The pair married in August 2013 after a meet-cute-like experience at Taco Bell in Guam in 2010. At the time, Capt Murray–then an Airman–was stationed at Andersen AFB, Guam. Melvina was then a sergeant in the 797th Engineer Company (Vertical), US Army Reserve. The couple’s first assignment together, after Melvina completed her service in the Reserve, was at Moody AFB in Georgia. Melvina, being born and raised in Guam, was glad to have a smooth weather transition for their first years together. She was glad they didn’t have to face the North Dakota winters right off the bat. As the Murrays built their married lives, their drive grew and they both felt the calling to do more in academia.

Almost simultaneously, both of their education careers began to take off. Melvina worked on her bachelor’s degree to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher, and Avaris started his transition to become an Air Force commissioned officer through Officer Training School (OTS). Also during this time, the couple began growing their family, first welcoming son Michael and then son Avery a year later. Eventually, the couple were stationed at Vandenberg AFB and then Minot in 2020.

During the last seven years Melvina has earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Early Childhood Education, Master’s of Science in Elementary Education with a Reading Endorsement, Executive Certificate in Curriculum and Instruction and is currently working on her doctorate dissertation with plans to finish her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Curriculum and Instruction ABD by 2025. Melvina explained that, “ABD means ‘all but dissertation’ which just shows that I am all done with the coursework for the degree and am currently writing my dissertation to complete the degree.” Her next goal is to someday teach at the collegiate level. Additionally, she has earned and kept valid her teaching credentials in Georgia, Wyoming and North Dakota, where she currently teaches at Dakota Elementary. She has taught elementary school every year and continued to excel in her field by winning the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching this past year.

Capt Murray said he was inspired by his educational wife’s drive and began to see just how much education benefits adult individuals and students alike. The couple’s mixed knowledge of her education experience and his military experience in missiles as a Evaluator in ICBM Standardization and Evaluation allowed for the perfect combination to “launch” a unique program at Dakota Elementary.

“Launch into Literacy” activated a school-wide program where Active Duty members come into the school and spend time reading and interacting with the students. Capt Murray explained that when he was younger, he didn’t love reading very much, but that through his lifetime he has begun to understand the importance of it and wants to share that with children today. He said, “Reading is always an easy way to get involved with students.” The program has been a huge success at Dakota Elementary and the Murrays hope to be able to grow the program to sister-school North Plains and even the off-base elementary schools. Together they hope to be able to offer reading and literacy encouraged by people outside the classroom. They both want to demonstrate the importance of reading and education as a lifelong learning and not just something you do within the bounds of school building.

Their education goals aside, it is important to both of the Murrays to demonstrate their love of learning to their own two children as well. Melvina explained that she absolutely loves to read and will consciously make sure to read more on a Kindle or an actual book, rather than her phone, because she wants her kids to see her reading and learning, not just pasted to a screen. Although she enjoys a wide range of genres, she discussed her favorite books saying, “I would think that my “Forever Favorite [Book]” would always be the Twilight series! I read them in high school and have probably read them a hundred times since then. My favorite books are And Then There Were None, The Lovely Bones, Fourth Wing series, and almost any fantasy paranormal/supernatural fiction books.” Capt Murray admitted that he is more an audio book fan and mostly sticks to leadership and finance genres. His most notable reads are Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Start With Why.

Melvina’s determined and hard working work ethic mixed with Capt Murray’s supportive nature and ambition have led this family to become a huge educational blessing to Minot AFB.

If any other elementary schools in the Minot area are interested in being a part of “Launch Into Literacy” please contact Capt. Murray at avaris.murray@us.af.mil.