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Name: Ally Melby
Age: 19
Hometown: Waupaca, Wisconsin
School attending/graduated from and year: University of Wisconsin- Madison 2020

Tell us about your background:
I just finished my sophomore year at UW-Madison and am majoring in journalism and strategic communications with a certificate in digital studies. I was a dancer for 14 years but hung up my ballet slippers to focus on college. However, I could not stay away and am a dance teacher in Madison. At school, I am a managing editor for Her Campus Wisconsin and write for UW’s school newspaper, The Daily Cardinal. I love going home to Waupaca in the summer, though, to spend time with loved ones, nanny and hang out on the lakes.

Why did you want to be an intern at FCM?
I wanted to intern at FCM because of the opportunity to share stories about an area I have grown up by. I am also very excited that Waupaca will be featured in the “Worth the Drive” issue. FCM is providing me the opportunity to be more than a “coffee runner” intern and actually get hands-on experience in the field of journalism.

What’s your favorite thing about the Fox Cities?
My favorite things are the food and the PAC.

The last book you read:
“Gone Girl”

Last movie you watched:
“The Maze Runner: The Death Cure”

Any hidden talents?
I can touch my tongue to my nose, say the Pledge of Allegiance in German, and clean my room in the morning and not be able to see the floor by the end of the day.

What can’t you live without?
A white mocha (skim milk, no whip)

What’s the biggest risk you ever took?
There are a lot of risks I have taken, but nothing too out of the ordinary — applying for a job way out of my league, asking for boys’ numbers, joining a club on a whim. My dumbest risk, however, was following my brother’s lead when I was five. We wanted to jump from the top of a slide, try to catch the pole parallel to it and slide down. However, when I jumped, I did not catch the pole and broke my foot.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
My dad once told me: “Every morning when I wake up, I tell myself it’s going to be a good day. I go to work, stuff happens, things don’t go my way, but at the end of the day, every day is a good day.”

Describe your perfect Saturday:
In Madison: Badger game day — rain or shine — game day is the best way to spend a Saturday.
In Waupaca: Spending the day on the Chain with friends and finishing the night eating key lime pie from the Clearwater Harbor.

Follow Ally on Instagram @allymelby or check out her personal blog at allymelby.wordpress.com