Melissa Hernandez was born in Havana, Cuba but relocated to Santiago, Chile at the young age of 2. She resided in Chile for 3 years before undergoing another big international move to West Palm Beach, Florida. Melissa is bilingual and prides herself on representing the Hispanic community no matter where she lives.
Melissa comes from a very close-knit Cuban family, so being the first one to move away to college was a struggle for everyone. Melissa and her family toured plenty of apartments in hopes of finding the right one – one that felt like home. She is very familiar with the ups and downs of moving, having lived in 3 different countries before the age of 7. However, while apartment hunting prior to the start of her freshman year of college, Melissa frustratingly realized that as a first-time renter she had a lot of unanswered questions about choosing the right apartment. She knew she wanted to take what she learned from this experience to help other first-time renters like herself.
From the time she could pick up a pen, crayon, or marker she's been writing – even if it only resulted in squiggles! Her mom would always keep a pen and paper handy to keep her entertained when out and about. Melissa's love for writing has grown with her, causing her to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of Florida. She hopes to use her passion for writing to aid other renters in their apartment search and make the process smoother for prospective students and their families.
Melissa loves to explore the world and aspires to travel as much of it as she can. She's continually engaging with new cultures and enjoys learning as much as she can about them. During her time off, she enjoys cruising or relaxing at the beach. She also spends much of her time as an intern for Cinema Verde, an environmental film festival based in Gainesville, Florida that's dedicated to raising awareness of environmental issues. Melissa is thrilled to be joining the great iLS network team to help others in search of their perfect apartment home.