The Whole Story (cont'd)

But Melissa also enjoyed her English classes. In high school, she was the co-editor of the student newspaper. And she wrote for the campus newspaper in college. But the idea of writing professionally never crossed her mind until one of her biology professors suggested it.

At the time, Melissa was doing a senior research project that involved sequencing fruit fly DNA. Professor Karen Williams showed her a related article in Discover magazine.

"You could have written this article," she said.

"As soon as the words were out of Professor Williams’s mouth, everything just fell into place," says Melissa. "I knew she was right."

A few days later, Melissa applied to New York University’s prestigious Science and Environmental Reporting Program.

"Luckily, I got in," says Melissa. "Now I get paid to learn all about the natural world and share it with other people. What could be better?"

To learn more about Melissa Stewart, read this interview in AMC Outdoors, published by the Appalachian Mountain Club, or this one on Suite101.com.