Today we’d like to introduce you to Melonie Torres.
Hi Melonie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Melonie and I am a first generation Dominican-American born in Harlem, New York City. I was raised in Harlem and Washington Heights for most of my childhood years, where I was mainly raised by my mother. I grew up in a family where going to school was an accomplishment that was expected from all of us. Since young, I had this yearning love for the arts, whether it was dance, drawing, acting, or modeling in my mirror. But despite these interests, I continued on to getting my Bachelor’s Degree from Brooklyn College and my Master’s Degree of Science from Columbia University in Speech and Language Pathology. I went on to work as a speech and language pathologist for four years in the NYC public school system, working with students with multiple disabilities.
Though I loved working with my students and I learned a great amount in the 4 years I worked as a speech therapist, I could not see myself working full time for the system. Four years later, I found myself making the decision of choosing myself over the job I had. Although it was a daunting decision and one that not many understood, I took the leap of faith. I feared looking back in life and regretting not taking a chance on myself and my love for creating content.
A few months later, I made another big transitional decision to move from NYC to Atlanta with my partner. Though transitioning to a whole different environment is not easy mentally or emotionally, this past year has allowed me to reflect and explore the things I actually enjoy doing. What once was a hobby that I would only do after my speech therapy job, has slowly transitioned into my new “full time job.” I presently create a great amount of content across social platforms that mostly consist of short comedic sketches.
I am truly excited to continue growing, inspiring, and living in my truth. I know this is just the beginning of so many great things to come and I hope my story inspires others to take a chance on themselves and break their own limitations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Transitioning from having a full-time secure job with benefits to being a full-time content creator has definitely had its bumps in the road. The main battle is the mental one. I had to be okay with letting go of what I was comfortable doing and believe in myself enough not to break under other people’s fears and opinions. I had to accept the fact that there may not be instant gratification, but the hard work will slowly pay off. I had to unlearn so many patterns to relearn new ways of thinking. Though I had many points where I have felt doubtful, these points have given me opportunities to reflect and trust my journey even more than before.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I feel what sets me apart from some is that I like to make people feel something through my content. I want people to feel moved by my content and genuinely enjoy it enough to come back for more. I love creating, but what I love even more is making a positive difference in someone’s day through my content.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
There was a point in my life where it was just me and my mom in the household and this period helped form the deep connection we have today. I hold so many memories of us baking, Saturday mornings of my mom blasting music and cleaning, movie nights, late night homework sessions, etc. I will always cherish those memories because they helped build the bond we still have.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bendecidx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturallymelonie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturallyMelonie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW9DBDF7Ocsk3b4Ym34XdUg
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@naturallymelonie?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Image Credits:
P. Rarri Nicollete Artsy Lenz Terrell Lopez
