‘Why My Scholarship Matters’: Amelia Melendez ’28

Amelia Melendez grew up in a part of the Dominican Republic countryside where electricity and water weren’t always available and resources for education were scarce. She had a curious mind, an aptitude for math and an eagerness to learn. After a six-year wait for her green card, Melendez arrived in Trenton, New Jersey, with her family and began working to save money to attend Mercer County Community College. In four years, she earned associate degrees in mathematics, physics and engineering while balancing full-time work and serving as the primary English speaker for her family. 

Then Melendez was accepted into Princeton’s Transfer Scholars Initiative. “I had never considered Princeton because I thought it was too expensive,” she said. 

Princeton’s full financial aid package allowed her to focus solely on academics for the first time in her life. Considering physics and mathematics as majors, Melendez is passionate about plasma fusion and clean-energy research. Her goal is to attend graduate school before embarking on a career developing sustainable energy solutions for underserved communities. 

“I grew up in a community where we didn’t have electricity most of the time,” she said. “The idea of bringing electricity to low-income communities sounds like a nice fulfillment project.”