“Florida State offered everything I was hoping for, such as strong academics at a top research institution, opportunities to stay connected to dance and the arts, spaces to grow as a leader, communities that supported students and campus resources that provided guidance.”
Fast Facts
- Favorite movie: “The Parent Trap”
- Theater lover: Has seen “Hamilton” three times
- Niche hobbies: Pogo stick, jump rope and both at the same time
- Favorite FSU tradition: The campus crawl with the Marching Chiefs the night before the first home game
- Study abroad: Went to the FSU Florence Study Center and visited five countries in five weeks
Presidential scholar Melanie Mitchell has served numerous organizations, fraternities and councils during her four years at FSU, where she completed both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.
As senior class council president and director of many FSU Homecoming affairs, Mitchell works towards inspiring her classmates to dream big and achieve more with the available student organizations.
Her service inspired her niche for people skills and helping people succeed. While Mitchell studied neuroscience in her undergrad, she gained interest in the human side of medicine. That turned her attention toward exploring a master’s in public health.
Her interdisciplinary higher education shone in her research assistant internship with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she worked on community engagement.
Why did you choose FSU?
When I visited for the first time during the presidential scholars’ recruitment weekend, the decision to come here was easy. I felt supported, safe and excited about what my life could look like here.
Florida State offered everything I was hoping for, such as strong academics at a top research institution, opportunities to stay connected to dance and the arts, spaces to grow as a leader, communities that supported students and campus resources that provided guidance.
FSU felt like a place where I would not have to shrink any part of who I was, but instead I could become more of myself.
What academic achievements are you most proud of?
As I progressed through my coursework related to premedical sciences, I found myself becoming just as interested in the stories behind medicine as I was in science itself.
I became deeply interested in public health, especially the ways in which health disparities, systems and lived experiences shape outcomes long before a patient enters a clinic.
That interest pushed me to take the initiative to build my own bachelor’s to master’s pathway. By my junior year, I had completed a full year of graduate-level public health coursework. Completing both a bachelor’s in behavioral neuroscience and a master’s in public health in four years reinforced my curiosity, challenged my assumptions and made me more thoughtful about the kind of physician I hope to become.
Another accomplishment is my research experience in the Nee Lab for Cognitive Neuroscience. I contributed to research focused on working memory and cognitive control. I completed MRI safety training and gained exposure to human subject research and neuroscience methods.
How do you serve the FSU community?
I served as class president for three years for the FSU Class Councils. We introduced service chairs and initiatives that allowed us to partner with other programs and unions to create support around breast cancer awareness, mental health and food insecurity.
The council also helped bring back the senior class gift for the first time in nearly a decade, raising nearly $10,000 over the past year to furnish the second-floor patio of the FSU Student Union with outdoor seating.
I was involved with FSU Homecoming across my undergraduate years as director of several coordinating efforts and teams such as programming, parade, Chief and Princess. I also had the honor of serving on Homecoming Court during my graduate year, which recognized my leadership and helped me promote FSU as a place where everyone belongs and is celebrated.
How have you practiced leadership during your time at FSU?
Mentorship has been the clearest thread through everything I have done here. I encourage my sorority life sisters, younger students and mentees to go for leadership roles, internships, research positions or jobs. More than anything, I want people to leave interactions with me feeling more confident in themselves than they did before.
I feel the power of mentorship is to ensure your legacy extends beyond a classroom, a title and even a physical space. It lives in people by rippling into the next generation of leaders, scholars and students who will continue that excellence. Many of the doors that opened were because someone looked out for me, and because of that, I have always felt a responsibility to do the same for others.