Actress and beauty Melissa Jourdana Cole has always been a performer at heart. From the time of her first dance recital at age 5, she has impressed small and large audiences with her charm, poise and eloquence.Cole's innate timing and dramatic ability made her a fixture in her high school's theatre group. As a student, Melissa divided her time between playing leading roles in school drama productions and leading the varsity track team as its captain and Most Valuable Player.Cole went on to study broadcast journalism, politics and Italian at New York University in 2004. While at NYU, Melissa honed her natural on-camera presence as an anchor and reporter for the campus newscast "NYU Tonight." She was also one of the faces of the university's book store ad campaign. In 2006, Melissa spent time abroad studying in London and Florence, Italy. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2008.Cole also has a decorated past as a beauty pageant queen and contestant. She entered the scene as one of more than 80 contestants in the National American Miss Teen New York pageant. As a newcomer to pageantry, she managed to place within the top 15 competitors. After a hiatus from competition, Melissa had no trouble finding momentum again when she returned to place second runner-up in the Miss Long Island pageant in 2009. In 2010, she became the fifth Miss Earth New York and went on to represent the Empire State at the national Miss Earth United States pageant in Laughlin, Nevada.Melissa's background in television production lead her to develop her own public access series. The Melissa Cole Show debuted on Long Island public access in 2009 and later on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. The series was lauded for its environmental awareness themes and was featured during MTV's Increase Your Green campaign on "It's On With Alexa Chung."For Cole, the transition to acting was natural. Melissa channeled her stage experience in pageantry and high school theater to get cast in several student and independent films. In 2011, she appeared in student films for the Art Institute of New York City and Columbia University. Melissa began training at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in 2012. She has been cast in numerous web series, experimental films, performance art works and short films.When she's not busy working, Melissa enjoys fashion, practicing her prowess on the poker table, travel and rooting for the New York Yankees. She has practiced veganism for four years.Cole hails from Long Island, New York and makes her home in the New York City metropolitan area. Show less «