Melissa King

 Melissa King was crowned Miss Delaware Teen USA 2013 on November 25 th, 2012 at the beautiful Sheraton Hotel in Dover, Delaware. She was supported by her parents, Jan and Randy King, her infamous “Guy” friend (Boyfriend) Dave Stout, her friends, and her coach Vincenza Carrieri-Russo.

Melissa was born on March 29 tt; a flaming Aries! She grew up in Bethany Beach, Delaware and has resided in the First State her
whole life. Currently, Melissa is a freshman at the College of Philadelphia; in Pennsylvania, studying Communications. One day, she hopes to work for a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City or maybe on the sidelines of an NFL game as a sports journalist; she likes the sound of both!

Melissa has been a successful competitive gymnast since the age of 9 and has competed locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Throughout high school she had participated on her school's Fall/Winter Varsity Cheerleading team and cheered for football games, basketball games, wrestling matches, and competitions. She also competed as an all-star cheerleader on a Large Senior Level 4 team where her team had earned Grand National Champions and won many other competitions. Melissa has coached gymnastics since her freshman year in high school and has enjoyed working with parent tot classes aged 18 months to two years, ages 4-5 girls, 5-7 boys, pre-teams, open gym workout groups, lower level team, teenagers, adults, parent's nights out, summer camps, birthday parties, and private lessons! In high school, Melissa also had participated on the Varsity Soccer team each year and the winter track and field team for a season. Since her freshman year in high school, Melissa has been active in the FFA, FFA committees, and has attended many state functions. Melissa was in art club, the Leo Club, Floriculture Club, Student Council, Student Committees, and helped volunteer at as many school functions as she could despite her busy schedule!

Melissa first learned that she was a talented and gifted artist when it was Parent's Day in Kindergarten. She realized she could cut a perfect circle with scissors when other student's circles were cut with rigid edges and weren't so circular! In fifth grade, she won a school wide art contest for Sea Colony that every student was required to participate in and that masterpiece still hangs somewhere in the halls of Sea Colony today! Also in fifth grade, she was submitted as an outstanding art student from her school and was honored as a Derrickson's Memorial Art Scholarship award winner through the Rehoboth Art League's Art Contest. She has always loved monkeys and her monkey mask brought her home the award! Her favorite art forms include acrylic painting and clay work. In elementary school, Melissa was the only student to complete the EXCEL program from her school. Due to her creativity, intelligence, and artistic abilities, she earned her place in the program which she had participated in from 2 nd through 7 th grade.

Melissa began volunteering in her 8 th grade year and fell in love with the joy of helping others! She has volunteered with many organizations since then and has now dedicated her time mostly with the American Heart Association, The Women's Sport Foundation, and with foster children. Last year she was crowned Miss Teen Delaware International 2012, she promoted her own personal platform “Finding The Balance” to overall health and well-being. Her platform focused on the importance of balancing your health triangle of mental/emotional, physical, and social health while also focusing on healthful eating, and most important to her, exercise/fitness!! Health affects everyone in the world in some way or another, so it is important to her; she was raised with a healthy lifestyle.