Melissa Renee started her K-12 career at Haight (now Love) Elementary School as a kindergartener. She was in Hayward for grades 1 through 11; when her family moved back to Alameda, she went to Island High School for 12^th grade.

 

It’s not easy starting a new school as a senior, and Melissa admits the first day was rough. But “I decided it was my last high school year, and I might as well get out of my comfort zone,” she says. Despite some underlying anxiety, she developed bonds with her teachers, built a community of friends, and participated in pretty much every opportunity that came up – including doing morning announcements, touring College of Alameda, planning Spirit Weeks, and getting involved in community service.

 

By the time she graduated last month, she says, “Island High felt like a second family.”

 

“I learned so much about community at Island,” she says. “Everyone gets along and everyone participates. It’s a good environment. People care about each other.”

 

Melissa plans to take a gap year to save money. Then she wants to study cosmetology at Laney College, with a focus on skin care. “I already practice hair and makeup on mannequins at home,” she says. “It will feel good to do it for real.”