MELANIE
Nutritionist
Meet Melanie. She just wrapped up three years of cheering for the Seattle Seahawks, then the San Diego Chargers. Now, she’s earning a B.S. in Nutrition.
SciCheer: What turned you on to science?
Melanie: I had an amazing teacher my senior year who just had this passion for teaching biology that made it interesting and fun. Long story, short, it led to me enrolling in college to earn a B.S. in Nutrition. Turns out, everything about nutrition interests me. Learning how our bodies work and adapt to what we consume is extremely important in our lives.
SciCheer: Tell us about the teams you cheered for and how long.
Melanie: I cheered for the Seattle Seahawks from 2007-2009 and the San Diego Chargers from 2009-2010. Being a Seattle ‘Sea Gal’ was by far the most amazing experience of my life. My very first year on the Seahawks, I was named Pro Bowl Cheerleader and sent to Hawaii! My second year on the team, we had a 2 week performance tour in Europe. I moved home to California and, fortunately, made the San Diego Charger Girls team, and had another incredible year. GO Seahawks and GO Chargers!
SciCheer: Can you describe a typical day at work/cheering?
Melanie: It includes a morning workout (I am a big fitness enthusiast), followed by teaching dance to under-privileged children through a government funded program called “Active Learning.” After I’m done teaching (I teach most days of the week) I devote at least 3-5 hours of studying and completing school assignments.
SciCheer: Why do you want to be a Science Cheerleader?
Melanie: It’s a great way to pour passion, talent, and intelligence into one program and use it to prove those stereotypes wrong!