Melissa is a passionate, introspective student who feels compelled to act. Raised in a single-parent home, she credits her mother, grandmother, and aunts for instilling humility and gratitude in her. A talented artist, Melissa is enrolled in the prestigious art program at Carver Center for the Arts and Technology. At Carver, Melissa's other abilities have flourished. An avid leader and community activist, Melissa is an altar server at her church, a tutor and mentor at school, and the president of Carver's National Honor Society, Amnesty International, and Environmental Clubs. At the top of her class, she also takes initiative in academics; when her school could not offer AP Art History, she co-founded an academic club to pursue the course. Melissa finds the energy to persevere through quiet contemplation of her surroundings. Living in the historical town where her family has resided for over a century, Melissa takes pride in her agrarian roots and reveres the earth her ancestors once traversed. Her habitat and knowledge of genealogy has cultivated an interest in the natural sciences and anthropology. Melissa plans to pursue anthropology and the biological or natural sciences for a career in research, journalism, or medicine.