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xxxxxMelinda isn't shy, per se, but she doesn't always know exactly how to approach each new person or situation. She tends to stand back and observe until her natural exuberance nudges her toward action. Her manner is abrupt and genuine, with tendencies toward hyperbole. Quite often she has the misfortune of being stuck in her own head, but only until she opens her mouth, expresses herself and receives feedback.
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xxxxxMelinda has two parents, one sister and a cat, all of whom reside in suburbia Ohio. Mel made her way to NYC after high school to attend college and pursue a career in Broadway, but found herself taking more to serving drinks, as a barista, than standing in lines at cast calls and hoping. Her time in New York began to revolve more around her part time jobs, night life, and roommates rather than her supposed career. It completely fell to the wayside when she began volunteering at a soup kitchen and food shelter on the weekends.
xxxxxWalking home one night with a group of friends acquaintances, one person asked if it would be any trouble -- if someone had a couch he could crash on. Startled -- especially since the group had had a get together at his place the week before, Mel found out that her friend was kicked out for having webbed feet. All distanced preconceptions about the mutant issue removed, she had to come to grips with a face instead of a nebulous concept and what could be done about it. He told her that if he didn't get a good night's sleep, his supervisor would fire him for shoddy work. She chose to let him crash at her apartment and let him use her shower so that he could look presentable in the morning and keep his job while he looked for a new place.
xxxxxMotivated by her personal touch with homeless people (mutants or otherwise) and their dilemma, she looked into more ways she could help. Her idealism swelled and then crashed when she discovered through her work that angry people stuck on the streets can lash out and mutants can lash out more dangerously than a standard human. This little bit of fear keeps her from thrusting herself into entirely into activism, but she cannot completely walk away because she cares about people and helping them avoid the multiplying obstacles that grow on people down on their luck. She takes people warily, one person at a time, mutant or human, and hopes for the best, but tries to be ready for the worst.
Instead of a silly teenage dream, Melinda found a community of freaks and geeks in New York City to feel at home in. Her family supports her charity but doesn't know exactly who all she works with and she still sees musicals whenever she can.
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