Melanie Gerik-Fordyce

Age: 30

College: University of Texas, 1996

Why SMI? Wanted to improve my skills as a manager. I have been an assistant coming on four years now, and wanted to take that next step and expand my horizons.

Personal athletic highlight: Coached sister's fourth-grade volleyball team. Had to break up a fight between my sister and an opposing player.

Journalism highlight: When I was working at my college paper, I tracked down a streaker and interviewed him after he was dressed.

Journalism lowlight: I was working at small paper and was yelled at by the realtor's association when my camera broke and I needed to retake a photo.

Last book read: The Outside World.

Best advice you ever received: Always make sure you spell someone's name correctly.

Journalism role model: Christine Brennan of USA Today because she gets to cover the sport I love — figure skating.

Dream job: Covering figure skating and only figure skating, doesn't matter for whom.

Fun fact: In college my dream was to go to Russia and start a newspaper. Then I took Russian and the language kicked my butt.