<font color="#0033CC">FEATURE:</font> Making history at 16

Branford High valedictorian barely has a driver's license, but dreams of NASA and watching football games in The Swamp

By Stephenie Livingston, Reporter

Wendell Eugene Melleppe Jr., Gene to his friends, is your average all-American young man. He enjoys video games, playing Sweet Home Alabama on his drums and afternoons of golf. It's Melleppe's interest in material engineering, summer trips around Europe and his future plans to work at NASA that break the mold.

Barely 16, Melleppe appears to be the youngest person in recent history to graduate from a Suwannee County school (school records are currently being checked and calculated for confirmation).

"I was only able to drive to school the last week of class," Melleppe said while sitting under his mom's peanut stand on US 129. After entering the gifted program in fourth grade, Melleppe says he finally began to enjoy school and to take it seriously.

"Learning had always been easy for me, but it had never really meant anything," said Melleppe.

It was at this early age that Melleppe began separating his own identity and destiny from the expectations of others.

Melleppe's mother, Windy Melleppe, says his unique gift was evident at an early age.

"He knew his abc's forward, backwards and by number at 3 years old, and was already starting to read," said Windy. "We always read to him. I'm sure that's why he's done so well, its important to read to your children."

Due to incredibly high test scores, Melleppe later combined sixth and seventh grade into one year ad skipped eight grade completely. He later finished high school with perfect attendance and near perfect grades.

"My lowest grade in high school was probably a 96," said Melleppe.

Melleppe's standardized test scores were also always "top of the charts," observed Windy Melleppe.

Melleppe went to England, France and Italy in the summer of 2005 as a People to People Ambassador when he was only 12. "It was the first time I'd ever really been away from home," he recalled. "I won't lie, I missed my mom."

He glanced at his mother and she smiled back. "He had maybe spent one or two nights away from our home before that," she said.

That same summer he also participated in UCLA's Summer Institute for the Gifted where he studied robotics.

"His father and I have always encouraged him to try lots of different things," said Windy Melleppe.

He also took dual enrollment classes at the University of Central Florida where he studied computer programming.

However, it was last summer that Melleppe found his calling during an internship with NASA. He got the internship through Florida Governor's School for Mathematics, Science, and Space Technology. It was then that Melleppe became interested in Material Sciences and Engineering.

Melleppe was recently accepted to the University of Florida where he will double major in Engineering and Material Sciences. Melleppe received a full Bright Futures scholarship and also earned a scholarship through UF's Material Science Department. He plans to eventually earn his Ph.D.

"With a degree in Material Sciences I can work on anything that's made of material, and everything's made with materials," said Melleppe.

Melleppe has already been offered another internship with NASA's Inspired Program for summer 2010.

"Raising him has been a task," Windy Melleppe said of her son's childhood. "He strives to learn. It was a challenge keeping him well-rounded and not letting him get bogged down in books."

Gene Melleppe responded, "I played golf for the school, but my heart was never really in it." Gene Melleppe says it was difficult for him to dodge the stereotype of a "book nerd."

"I was always working hard and staying busy," said Melleppe. "I didn't always have the chance to make a lot of close, great friends."

Windy Melleppe says at times it was a struggle for her son to find acceptance among fellow students, since he was always the youngest in the class. Still, according to Windy, by his senior year Gene's fellow students were proud of his accomplishments and very supportive. She feels proud of the fact that Gene, his father, and herself all graduated from Branford High School and is appreciative of the education her son has received there.

Melleppe believes his hard work will eventually pay off in big ways.

"I figure it will all be worth it in the end," Melleppe said, adjusting his University of Florida baseball cap. "Growing up without a bunch of things made me want to do more. Not really in a material sense, I just want to better my life. I think that's all the inspiration anyone needs."

Despite his accomplishments, Melleppe says he still feels intimidated at times. "During my valedictorian speech I was so nervous. Everything that was visible seemed normal," he explained. "But my legs were shaking and my feet were doing a crazy dance."

Windy looked at him and laughed.

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