“It was probably around 2:04, 2:05, when me and all my friends would meet up right by the stage, and we would figure what we were all doing….it was the best thing to look forward to.” Nicholas Anthony Melendez. Puerto Rican-American. Going to Valencia, then transferring to UCF. Virgo, and he’s certainly as reserved as a Virgo can be. He prefers to stay more to himself and doesn’t like large group settings, but he does have a lot of love for his small circle. He’s definitely there for them as he’ll pick up their calls “in a second.” He’s solid as hell. He’s also an overthinker, constantly gathering details and analyzing situations and people. But he knows that he can tend to judge people too much before he meets them, not necessarily basing his judgements on their appearance but from the way they “come across.” He says that this can sometimes be bad. But nonetheless, Nick’s a big believer in persistence. Persistence and constant hard work is the reason behind the Pink Floyd tattoo on his right forearm, actually. If there’s something he wants to do, he won’t let anything stop him from doing it. He’ll do it without any guidance. And so, he makes it his goal to study business and administration in college. He aims to one day get into the business of modifying cars to make them look cool and all, and he’s known this since he bought his own first car, in which he wanted to treat it like treasure (and so he eventually got to know the “car community”). And although these are Nick’s hopes, he says that he’ll just see “where the world takes me” for his future. He only wishes to be happy and to make a living doing what he loves. And right now he loves cars and car photography, as well as baseball as he’s an ex-player of the sport. And as for love, he sees more importance in establishing it rather than being on the search for who’s “right.” Charter support team: Mikey (obviously), Laura, Eirik, Danny (he left). Favorite artist: Pink Floyd. Advice to charter underclassmen: “Don’t let anything stop you from having fun. There’s gonna be people telling you what to do, but make sure you stay true to yourself and do what you want.”

• By: Jena Manning