Life Is Good
Giving. Kind Hearted. Crazy. These are the words that those close to Melissa Barrington used to describe her. Other than being a great person to be around, there is so much more to know about this junior here at East Carolina University.
Melissa Barrington, also known as Missy, was born on December 24, Christmas Eve, which can be bittersweet. She said her birthday was often squeezed in with Christmas, so she only got one gift for the two days. Her last birthday was extra special. She had her first real birthday party and to make it even more special, it was a surprise.
Missy is originally from Morehead City, North Carolina, where she was raised on the beach.
“I love the water,” she commented during our interview. When the weather is right, it’s almost certain that you will find her on the beach or on a boat.
During a phone interview with her mother Missy’s love for “the water” became more apparent. Mrs. Vickie Barrington told me of how when Missy was eleven years old, they had a pool in their back yard. One day Missy’s father was chopping down a tree when it fell directly on the pool. Missy was devastated. “We had to go get another pool right then,” said her mother. Melissa plans to own a beach house in the future.
After graduating from high school, Missy went to a community college in Wilmington and had the time of her life. She may have had too much fun with all of her friends, so she decided to move back to Morehead City where she could focus a little more on her studies. She received her Associate Degree in Arts and decided to come to East Carolina University.
Melissa is currently in her junior year pursuing a degree in Communication and concentrating in public relations. She plans to graduate December 2008. She previously had a minor in apparel merchandising but she dropped it because it set her graduation date back.
She really enjoyed apparel merchandising however, and is contemplating whether she will pick the minor back up.
Missy also plans to become a member of PRSSA, Public Relations Student Society of America, an organization designed to build beneficial relationships between students and professional public relations practitioners.
Melissa has one younger sister, Christie who is 23 years old. She is also a student here at East Carolina University. She and her sister share an apartment in Greenville. Though Christie is Melissa’s younger sister and urges to help direct her are frequent, Melissa’s tries to fall back when it comes to interfering with her life. She commented that her sister will be twenty-four in March and should be able to live her own life. Missy cares greatly for her sister. For a class project, students were asked to bring in an item that best describes themselves. Missy brought in a picture of her and her sister.
What’s one thing you won’t find in Missy’s apartment? Pets! She’s allergic to animals. It’s a very heavy allergy. A friend of hers has pets and when he goes to visit her she sometimes has a reaction to just the hair on his shirt. Not to worry, she keeps an inhaler around just in case there are any surprises.
Missy kept it real when she brought up one of her flaws: She’s clumsy. She commented on how she’s accident prone and tends to fall a lot. Her best friend of eleven years, Stacey, added to what Missy mentioned. She commented on Missy’s clumsiness and brought up a memory of the two at a Kenny Chesney concert. Missy had been drinking (not to worry, she’s twenty-seven) and she was tripping and falling a lot more than usual. A couple of times she even pulled Stacy down with her.
Missy’s favorite color is blue, and she loves reading books by Nicholas Sparks. She is fanatical about reality television; her favorite TV show is American Idol and she keeps up with every episode. It’s a little harder for her right now, since she no longer has TiVo. She really misses the convenience of just recording it and watching it whenever she’s ready. Missy also talked of a special someone in her life, but they just started dating so all we can do right now is wish her the best!
Filed under: Classmate Profiles, Spring 2008