The restaurant, filled with rich smells of Cajun cuisine and people sitting in anticipation, quiets as the band, Artie’s Univibe, enters the stage with Melissa Lindsey, along with her dad and lead-guitarist and -vocalist, Artie Lindsey, at the microphone, holding her yellow tambourine.
Every Thursday at Jazz Kitchen, Artie’s Univibe plays a variety of rock music from the late 1960s and early 1970s featuring songs by Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Neil Young, and more. Melissa Lindsey has been playing music since elementary school.
“I’ve been into music since I was a kid. I went to Two Mile Prairie and I ended up playing the drums when I was five-years-old. My dad taught me how. I played at Two Mile at an open house, and I really discovered that I love playing and singing in front of other people,” Lindsey said. “I joined choir in the third grade at Two Mile and really got into that and did choir throughout middle school. When I was about eleven- or twelve-years-old, I started singing on stage with my dad, and also playing guitar.”
Lindsey also loves to listen to music with over 30 unique playlists on Spotify, featuring rock bands from the 60s, 70s, and 80s such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Grateful Dead, Nazz, and Curved Air.
“I listen to a lot of music. I have a very intuitive mind when it comes to listening to music and I can pick out each instrument and say ‘hey, I really like how that guy did that drum fill,’” Lindsey said. “Music is just a really big part of my life, and I want to keep it as I advance in my career.”
Now, Lindsey is a senior, and is preparing to graduate and take that next big step in her life.
“I’m planning on going to MACC for nursing to get my certificate in practical nursing. The year after that I’m going to go through MACC’s Bridge Program and get my nursing license and then get my associates degree and start working as a nurse,” Lindsey said. “I decided to get my certificate before going into a degree program because I want as much experience as possible. Working in the field and getting experience from that is more important than having four years of school and then going out and having no idea what you’re actually doing.”
Melissa’s childhood around nurses and in hospitals has inspired her to be another helping hand for families going through hard times.
“Something that made me want to become a nurse is spending so much time in hospitals with family. I’m witnessing nurses coming in and changing their drugs, and the way they explained what they were doing to my family members, and they also spoke to me, which is something that I want to do,” Lindsey said. “I want to make sure [family members with patients] are okay, especially younger children. I was in that position and I didn’t know what was going on, and if someone put it in simpler terms, I wouldn’t get upset because the unknown is scary.”
Lindsey was also inspired in her own home by her own family.
“My step-mom is a retired nurse, and I witness her take care of my grandma a lot, and do a lot of things because Grandma had a lot of health problems. So Cyndi, my step-mom, would step in and do whatever she can with her nursing powers and bring [Grandma] back to health, and she’d always bounce back,” Lindsey said. “It was just really inspiring.”
Between the experiences and passion she has, Lindsey is confident nursing is for her, and there’s no doubt she’ll be great at it.
“I love health sciences, and I love taking care of people, and I just can’t see myself doing anything else besides being a nurse,” Lindsey said.
In addition to caring for others, Lindsey loves being able to express herself through fashion, music, and photography.
“My passion is being the best I can be and expressing myself in a way that feels right,” Lindsey said. “I just like to be myself, because I like myself, and I’m passionate about that. I like to show people this is who I am, and it’s okay if you don’t like it, and you’ll just have to deal with it. This is me.”
Every day, Lindsey can be seen wearing an outfit that shows off her style, whether that’s with flowy shirts, floppy hats, platforms, or her signature bell-bottoms, and she loves to show off her noteworthy style through photography.
“I love to express myself with my clothing. I think it’s a lot different from what you see nowadays. I love to wear bell-bottoms and platforms,” Lindsey said. “Clothing is a big thing for me. I love to take pictures, self-portraiture is a big hobby of mine, just taking pictures of myself. It’s not really like a vanity thing, it’s just mainly saying ‘hey, this is out here.’ This is something I want more people to get into, especially at our school. It’d be really, really cool if people explored other cultures in time because I think there are a lot of things that you can derive from other time periods.”
Lindsey said, “Another thing about expressing myself is I collect a lot of music. I want to show people that the 60s, 70s, and sometimes 80s is the best time period for music, and bringing it back is a really big passion of mine. That’s why music has played such a big role in my life. I’m trying to preserve it.”
“My whole four years [at Battle] I’ve wanted people to get into what I’m into, and that’s my big thing, but now I realize that if everyone was into it wouldn’t be fun for me anymore,” Lindsey said.
Now, Lindsey is ready to continue to make her mark in the world.
“I’m excited to leave Battle High School,” Lindsey said. “Be smart, go to class, and be yourself.”