Raised in a small community in east Knoxville, Melissa Priode is eager to move out of Tennessee into a city with a bit more excitement and life. She is a junior at the University of Tennessee where her major is Journalism and Electronic Media with a minor in Political Science.

Melissa is the Vice President of The Volunteer Channel, the student run television channel at UT, where she writes, produces and anchors. She aspires to be a news reporter and wants to eventually become one of the only conservative news anchors.

Outside of school, Melissa coaches a high school swim team, is a Young Life leader at Halls high school and loves to run, read, cook, attend concerts and make scrapbooks.

January 30 2008 :: International journalist speaks on broadcasting in denied areas of the world