Melissa was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved out to Medford, NY at the ripe age of 2 weeks-old to live in a crowded Italian household of grandparents, uncles, aunts and parents. She and her older brother, Michael, grew up in the Patchogue-Medford School District, where Melissa played basketball, softball and participated in art exhibits. After graduating from high school, Melissa attended Penn State University where she obtained a bachelor's degree.  She then continued on to receive her master's degree from NYIT in Old Westbury while also working full-time at a systems integration firm where she was an executive assistant and designer. Presently, she is the manager of community relations at the Long Island Campus of St. Joseph's College. Melissa also sits on the board of directors and is the second vice president for the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Patchogue Arts Council; Fair Media Council; PRPLI and IABC-LI. She lives in Medford with her husband and her son.