Straight from the mountaintop school known as CROEM, 16-year-old Melissa strutted into the Biology department at Colegio, a place she was already deep in love with since she first laid eyes on it, “here is where I want to be.” She hopes to tackle her BS to quickly move on her dream: England, to study what she really likes and wants to be, a neuroendocrinologist.
Ever since her early education, she was ahead of the group. In third grade, she tutored other kids and back then, she had a friend as smart as her, “and you know how in school they go really slow? Well he and I didn’t feel fulfilled with that; we kept on reading ahead.” There were many times that teachers called us out, but we kept on going even if we finished the books way before the rest of the class did. Then, in fourth grade, she was skipped ahead one grade.
Fast-forward and Melissa is juggling her life between the challenging classes in CROEM and her one true love in Escuela Libre de Música – Ernesto Ramos Antonini (ELMERA): music. Melissa has been at “La Libre” ever since she was eight years old where she has participated in the Children’s Chorus, the Concert Chorus, and actually played the piano for five years. Now at Colegio, she was accepted at the university’s own chorus of talented singers, which is presently preparing for a trip to Europe, Chorium. She admits it was challenging but “in regards to friends and the experiences I had, I don’t regret anything.”
When I asked her what I really wanted to talk about, how it felt to be an underage prepa, her bubbly personality came through a very kind laugh. “It feels normal,” she added, “when I tell them my age, their face is full of shock, like ‘for real you’re here?’ But it’s pretty normal.” Melissa said that since she is such a social butterfly, she engages in conversations and the age gap is not felt at all. I can definitely vouch for that; I felt as if I had been talking with someone my age! The only thing she doesn’t quite enjoy about being so young is the dependence she has upon her parents for transportation, though haven’t we all been there at some point?
Melissa had an achievement before finishing High School, something that she doesn’t say too much out of fear that she’ll be called una echá. When the Consejo Lengua Española (CLE) and the Real Academia Española (RAE) came, they had a national conference for general and scientific essays. She submitted an essay right on the deadline. “I wasn’t losing anything because those were bonus points for a class I had back then. Then one day, I’m at my residence, I open my computer, and I see an email that said I had been chosen as one of the 10 finalists. I couldn’t believe it because what I did wasn’t complicated or fancy in any way.” At the ceremony, “when they announced me first place, I couldn’t even stand. I didn’t even have the intention of winning.”
“I love music; music is my life.” Melissa’s top five favorite bands are One Direction, CNCO, The Vamps, The Foo Conspiracy, and R5. She admits being a boy band fanatic. Even though she keeps it a secret that “I fall head over heels for 1D [don’t we all?]. I don’t pay attention to what they look like exactly, I pay attention to their voices, how they sing, the lyrics, musicality.”
All pictures courtesy of Fi Alvarado.