Growing up in the small town of Greenwood, Indiana, Melissa knew from a tender young age that she was destined to be an actress. However, that was not a suitable option to her mother or the Indian community, who frowned upon youngsters that pursued artistic endeavors instead of following the age-old path of medicine and engineering. Consequently, Melissa was forced to suppress her inner artist and buckle down in the sciences, all the while longing to get on that stage and perform in her school plays. When it came time to select a college, Melissa chose one that was conveniently located in Southern California, so it would allow her to break free and get her feet wet in Hollywood, while still getting her degree. Although she majored in psychology, she took acting classes in college and did a lot of traveling so she could study different people, places, and cultures. These experiences were invaluable to her as an actress because she was observing human behavior in its natural habitat. In 2008 she graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and then went away to Europe for five months to backpack and explore. Armed with a fresh new perspective on life, Melissa came back from Europe and joined the Screen Actors Guild because she knew, though there were much easier paths to choose from, there was nothing else she wanted to do than to perform.
