Melissa earned her B.S. in marine biology at Saint Francis University, Pennsylvania where she also swam for their Division I women’s swim team. She graduated with an M.S. in marine biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2013. Her master’s thesis examined the effects of EDCs (endocrine disrupting chemicals) on the predator behavior of common fish species. “As a 2012 WDHOF scholarship awardee, I cannot begin to describe how much the scholarship helped me through graduate school. The funds were quickly used up to pay for a whole semester of tuition. I am now finishing up my second year of school at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and will be graduating this spring with my master’s degree in marine biology! These past two years of graduate school have gone by so fast, but they have been filled with countless great experiences. Not only did I conduct my own research in the lab at UNCW- studying the effects of endocrine disrupting compounds on fish behavior, but I also got a chance to assist my lab mate with her data collection in the field for six weeks looking at bluehead wrasse larval dispersal in St. Croix, USVI. Therefore, I was able to gain experience collecting data in a lab setting as well as in the field on beautiful Caribbean reefs. I can honestly say that I now feel like a true marine biologist, and I am very grateful for the support of WDHOF family while earning my master’s degree.”