As Melina Hegelheimer exited from her mother’s womb, one thought popped into her tiny not so fetus anymore head. That thought was to be a winner. Starting in 3rd grade, Melina joined Ames soccer club. “It just felt so natural and right,” Melina explains. “I knew it was something I could stick with even at a young age.” Melina has had to make many sacrifices to pursue her goals in soccer. “My schedule is wake up, go to school, go home, go do homework, go to soccer for a few hours, then go home and rinse and repeat.”

With Melina being a self proclaimed “student athlete, I guess,” there are also many benefits. Those being meeting new friends from different places, being apart of a community, learning skills like teamwork and communication. When questioned about her passion towards soccer she replied with “I do feel passionate towards soccer, I think I’ll play during college but I’ll probably stop then. Women soccer players don’t get paid very much but it would involve me doing something I love and I think that would be enough for me.”

Our beloved all star Melina also has a few other talents; competitive yo-yoing, baking, and above all else, being a sister. She also went to Germany in 2nd grade, that experience showed her a different perspective on the world “I was scared and alone in a different country, it was just different but it taught me a lot about culture plus I made a best friend.” Melina said (Melina mentioned her name was Charlotte, they don’t talk anymore… Charlotte if you’re out there, let her know.) 
 If you see Melinda Hegelberger in the hallway give her congratulatory pat on the back.