Melanie Carden

Melanie is a travel and adventure writer who grew up in the woods of New England. Her passion for riding UTVs on defunct train tracks as a child gave way to a lifelong passion for hiking. Moving to Alaska on her own at age 19 set the wheels in motion for a life of travel and adventure. Even when she tackled a seven-year passion project as a private chef, she kept traveling and has now visited over twenty countries. In her 20s, Mel began traveling solo, including diving with tiger sharks in the Bahamas and whale tracking in Baja, Mexico. Along the way, her interest in the National Parks led her to explore them in the less-traveled winter months, yielding lifelong memories of snowmobiling in Yosemite and wintery hikes in Yosemite. Whether it's the challenge of winter or being a January baby, she adores snowy adventures like dogsledding. She even took a day-long survivalist course with Mark D'Ambrosio from the History Channel's survivor-style show, “Alone.” If there's an opportunity to explore a winery in Austria, a snorkeling cove in the Galapagos, or a seaside Airstream camp in Cape Cod, you can be sure she'll always be ready—with the only luggage she ever travels with—a single backpack. In 2017, Mel returned to college with a concentration in food and culture journalism, which included foraging and herbalism courses. During her tenure at UMass Amherst, Mel was a member of Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor's Society. She won the UMass Presidential Jack Wilson Scholarship and the Amherst Alumni Association Senior Leadership Award. She graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA.

• Alumni: Amherst