Scholarship Recipient Autumn Mellino Thriving at Michigan State

We caught up with Autumn a few weeks ago to see how school is going. Here's our Q&A:

You had such a successful senior year despite COVID troubles. How is your first semester of college going?

My first semester is going really great. I moved to Michigan State a week early to participate in a program called Honors College Impact. About 40 freshmen in the honors college participated in this program where we spent the week volunteering around the Greater Lansing Area. I got to help out at a local elementary school, food bank, community garden, and homeless shelter. A requirement of this program was taking a class this fall where we will complete 24 hours of community service with one of the locations we volunteered at during IMPACT. I have chosen to work with the Allen Neighborhood Center where I will be helping their office manager with his work. The Center's mission is to promote the overall health of the community by providing fresh produce to families in the area, offering free workout classes, and running many youth and senior programs. I made a lot of good friends during this week that I plan to stick around with for the next four years!

That sounds like a great program! We know you like to keep busy, what else are you up to?

I am currently in the Honors College First Year Council which meets every other Tuesday night. We are a group of about 30 freshmen students who meet to help improve our professional and leadership skills. I am also in the Residential Business College, which also holds optional events every Tuesday night, and we are a group of the top 250 freshman business major-preference students at MSU. Our events are to help us network with potential employers, build professional skills to use during interviews, and get feedback on our resumes, elevator pitches, etc. On the more fun, relaxed side of things, I am in the MSU powerlifting club and hope to compete in my first powerlifting competition in the Spring!

Amazing! Any new plans for the future while you explore new interests?

I haven't made too many changes to my current plans yet. I am still a Hospitality Business major with a minor in Spanish and Environmental and Sustainability Studies, but I am starting to debate a third minor in Hospitality Real Estate. I have a real estate class next semester that will help me navigate that decision. I am also looking for an internship for this summer to start my two internship requirements I have with my major. In two summers, I am hoping to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country so I am starting my requirements early.

You've had such a great transition from NOHS senior to first-year college student. What advice do you have for this year's high school seniors?

My advice for the senior class of 2022 is to not underestimate what is possible. If there's a school or program you love, but it looks too expensive or is out-of-state, don't be afraid to apply. Put your passion behind getting into your dream school or program and you will be able to. Put the work into researching both scholarships they offer and community scholarships. Don't be afraid to ask your admissions counselor for financial aid opportunities, it's what they're there for. By showing my admissions counselor at Michigan State not only my financial need, but how passionate I was about going here and how I felt it was the perfect fit for me, I was able to get the aid I needed to go to my dream school and get accepted to the Business college here. My last piece of advice is to apply early. The sooner you get your acceptance, the sooner you can start looking into scholarship opportunities the school or program offers.

Huge congrats to Autumn on such a fantastic start. We look forward to watching her continued success!

From Autumn: Here’s a photo of me over the Red Cedar River that runs right through campus!