“My marathon in college has been longer than most, but I’m happy to finally graduate,” Melo says.
For nine years, Jordan Melo was a sophomore at Rhode Island College, taking courses whenever he could fit them into his demanding work schedule. Motivated by a speaker at his sister’s college graduation, Melo decided to return to RIC full time in 2024. He will be graduating with a B.A. degree in film studies this May.
“The speaker said that at the end of the day, graduation is like a race,” Melo recalls. “For some people it’s a sprint, while for others it’s a marathon. That’s the most impactful thing I’ve ever heard about graduation. My marathon in college has been longer than most, but I’m happy to finally graduate.”
Melo, 29, entered RIC in 2014 as a freshman computer science major. After realizing that this field wasn’t his passion, he decided to withdraw, which eliminated his financial aid. In 2015 he enrolled as a film studies major, but without financial aid, which made his ability to afford college more challenging.
“I would take a few courses, pay them off and then take a few more,” he says. “One semester, I took a course and didn’t show up for classes because the commute from my job in Massachusetts was overwhelming or things would happen where I couldn’t make it in.”
Melo now works as a 911 dispatcher for the town of Bristol.
“Working full time as a dispatcher on the overnight shift is not stress-free,” he says. “After ending my overnight shifts at 7 a.m., I’d come straight to RIC for class at 8 a.m. My schedule was so packed that the days I’d only work or only go to school felt like a vacation.”
But Melo, who lives in Coventry with his wife, says he can’t blame anyone for the hardships he’s faced while making his way through college.
“My professors tried to get me to graduation sooner and supported me a lot,” he says. “I had to figure out and isolate why things didn’t work out the first, second or third time I tried to come back. I didn’t fix the external pressures that kept digging my hole further.”
Melo’s job offered to pay for his tuition if he earned a criminal justice degree but “the film degree is the one I wanted, and I know I would regret it if I didn’t pursue it.”
Melo was drawn to film studies because of his lifetime love of movies.
“In my opinion, you can make a convincing movie and draw emotion from people in a way that other arts can’t,” he says. “I’m on the screenwriting track, making and pitching scripts.”
Melo has written scripts for two feature-length films, several spec scripts (which are shorter versions of a script) and 25 treatments. The working titles for his films are “Dead West,” a vampire western that is set in Colorado and follows the relationship between a father and son; and “One Night in a Newsroom,” a low-budget horror flick that centers on a murder in a newsroom, with the suspect still roaming inside the building.
"One thing I’ve tried to do with the stories I’ve created is to generate an emotional reaction, which I think is the best way to get people to like the movie,” he says. “Typically, I want to write movies that contain sadness about 70 percent of the way through and then catharsis at the end.”
He also wants to create scripts that are thoughtful.
“I don’t see any merit in making movies where you don’t have to think,” he says. “If I’m fortunate enough to make a commercial film, I don’t want someone to say he didn’t try when he did that. I want to make things with depth and meaning.”
After graduating, Melo intends to continue working as a 911 dispatcher and enter some of his scripts into area film festivals. He also wants to create short films and try his hand in wedding videography.
“By doing those things, I can create a portfolio to sell myself as a filmmaker,” he says.
RIC Associate Professor of English and Film Studies Rosalind Sibielski says she always hoped that Melo would return to RIC to complete his degree.
“He’s an incredibly talented filmmaker,” she says. “From the beginning, he has consistently been a highly engaged student who approaches learning with curiosity, an open mind and a desire to learn as much as he can.”
Film Studies Professor Vince Bohlinger, Melo’s advisor, says while demanding work obligations kept Melo from producing his best effort in his coursework, he marvels at the dedication it took him to reach his goals.
“I had the privilege to witness how he figured out making work and life balance,” Bohlinger says. “I’ve been so impressed across multiple semesters by his ability to come to my morning classes straight from work after pulling an all-night shift. That commitment takes semester-long, marathon-like stamina. This was all due to his perseverance, his maturity and his dedication. I’m thrilled that Jordan has finally come to the finish line.”