While at Spelman and living in Atlanta, Georgia, Melina was involved in the city’s legal community as a volunteer with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation’s Saturday Lawyer Program, assisting attorneys in providing pro-bono legal assistance for indigent tenants. Melina also was a mentor for an educational diversion program that serves as an alternative to incarceration for teenagers within the Fulton County Juvenile Court aimed at reducing the youth recidivism rate in the city.

Throughout her four years as an undergraduate student, Melina was involved in grassroots organizing efforts with Public Citizen and the Democratic Party of Georgia. In collaboration with various state-based organizations, she promoted voter registration and early voting for key Senate run-off elections in 2020 and 2022, and was responsible for coordinating nationwide events, including marches, rallies, and candlelight vigils, to promote democracy, fair and free elections, and the passage of key civil rights legislation.

Melina served two terms in Spelman’s Student Government Association as the Chief of Staff, then First Year Liaison the proceeding year. Additionally, she participated in the Georgia Women’s Policy Institute’s inaugural cohort of policy advocates from Spelman College, where she researched, developed, and advocated for state policy pertaining to extending Medicaid coverage and the women’s maternal mortality crisis in Georgia.

Melina was born in Queens, New York, and raised in Northern Virginia. In her freetime she enjoys watching professional soccer, spending time outdoors, and trying new restaurants with friends. Melina is incredibly proud of her acceptance to Columbia Law School’s Class of 2028 via the LEAD Fellowship program and will begin her matriculation in Fall 2025.