People you should KNOW

Maryland-raised Melanie Martin is a natural city girl. Beginning her college career as a shy freshman who hardly went out on the weekends, Martin has matured into her senior year. A communications major, Martin hosts the show “Fabulously Focused” on Temple’s WHIP and has recently created her own Web site based on the show. The site was officially unveiled to the public late last month during the Fabulously Focused Prom Dress Drive. The drive allowed girls from the surrounding Philadelphia community to plan their dream prom outfits – makeup, accessories and dress included. While lounging in the Starbucks at North Broad Street’s Barnes & Noble, Martin discussed her post-graduation plans and looked back at her time as a Temple student.

The Temple News: You recently created a Web site called Fabulously Focused. What were your intentions for producing it?
Melanie Martin: What I wanted to do was ultimately turn it into a makeover show for college-aged women. It’s the age where we don’t know what we want to do. We get overlooked, and we don’t get many opportunities as we should. We don’t get acknowledged for what we do do.

TTN: You’re just a few months away from graduating and stepping out into the real world. What are your plans after you graduate?
MM: It’s the most nerve-wracking yet exciting time, I feel, besides probably getting ready to become a mother and a wife. You’re starting to realize how much of the world you don’t know about. The nerve-wracking part of it is that we feel like we don’t have enough time in life to do what we want to do. The exciting part is the naivety of it, being so oblivious to the fact that you don’t have to shelter your dreams. We’re really fearless at this age. We’re hungry and I want to make it. Most people get nervous about how they’re going to make money, but I haven’t really been nervous about that. I’m doing what I love to do right now. I’m not scared – I’m just ready.

TTN: Can you tell me why you chose the slogan “How fabulous it is to be a girl” for your Web site? What does it mean for a girl to be considered fabulous?
MM: [It means] loving who you are and being unashamed of how you were created. There’s nothing more sexy, more beautiful, more confident, more appealing, more fabulous than a girl who is so comfortable with herself. The fact that girls – women, females, young ladies, whatever you want to call us – we can do so much. We have so much power – emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally we can take so much. We’re so resilient. I don’t think we know our strength until we have to go through heartbreaks, face adversity or stand up to the girl who used to make us feel insecure. That’s what makes a girl fabulous. This is me. This is who I am. If you have a problem with it, then turn the other way. I’m going to do what ever I want to do, I’m going to do it well, and I’m going to do it in 5-inch heels.

TTN: How do you deal with people who might think communications majors are jokes?
MM: When people ask me what am I going to do with communications, I just ask them, “Well what are you going to with your career? If you want to do business, what are you going to do with that? Do you know how many people have business degrees? How many people have online magazines that they’ve created themselves?” It’s not about being boastful. It’s about saying, “This is what I want to do.” If they have a problem with it, then that’s your issue. The biggest thing I get is, “Oh, your field is unstable.” Nothing is stable in this world. You have to take chances. If you’re safe, then are you happy? We all want to make money, but I want to live a fabulous life.

Kenny Thapoung can be reached at kenny.thapoung@temple.edu.