Being the first to accomplish a goal is often a difficult achievement in life, especially in… Being the first to accomplish a goal is often a difficult achievement in life, especially in sports.

By being the first, an athlete sets a standard that others will strive to reach or surpass and, by doing so, leave a legacy for the rest to follow. Perhaps the most important part of being first is the legacy the leader leaves behind.

For Pitt jumper Melanie Carter, it’s no different. Carter is the first in her family to attend college and serves as a role model for her younger siblings. Carter’s example is paying dividends on the track and for her family as she just returned from competing in her second NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships where she placed 12th.

“I have a good relationship with my brother and sisters, and I’ve been trying to serve as a role model for them to help them find what they love to do, be it sports, school or whatever so they are able to help themselves in the future,” Carter said.

Carter’s family has taken to her leadership. Her younger sister is primed to graduate at the top of her high school class and will be attending Pitt in the fall.

“I want to succeed and give back. Successful people usually move away and don’t come back,” Carter pointed out. “I really want to reach those who need help.”

The events Carter competes in on the track could be traced to her love of leadership and helping people.

“As a runner, you only get one chance to prove yourself, whereas in the field events like jumping, you get three,” Carter said.

As a jumper, Carter has proven to herself, her coaches and the nation that she has the skills to take it to the next level. At indoor nationals, Carter earned All-American honors, but that isn’t enough for her. The Harrisburg High School graduate has intangible skills that permeate her personality.

“Melanie is one of the most fierce competitors,” head coach Alonzo Webb said. “She wants to learn and be the best. She is very driven with a lot of potential.”

Track was not always Carter’s first love. Growing up, she loved basketball but didn’t make the high school team, so she decided to try something else. The something else was track.

As a freshman in high school, Carter found she didn’t like track because she didn’t feel there was anything there for her. So she quit the team. As a sophomore, Carter’s track coach reached out to help her find something she could participate in.

“First he put me in hurdles, and I didn’t really like that,” Carter said.

After a few attempts, Carter’s coach introduced her to jumping and she fell in love with it.

Following high school, Carter headed south to continue her education and track career at Texas Southern University in Houston. After two years, Carter was looking for a change. She wanted to be closer to home so she narrowed her choices to Pitt or Penn State. The right choice became clear for Carter because her high school track coach knew Webb, and he contacted him on her behalf.

Carter talked with Webb while he was at Kent State University and told him where ever he ended up, she’d go. Despite never visiting Pittsburgh, she signed because she would have the opportunity to work and train alongside Trecia Smith.

While at TSU, Carter enjoyed the laid-back style of the South. Carter’s current jumps coach Andre Scott, an Auburn graduate, displays some of those “laid-back” qualities in his coaching.

“Andre is a real good coach, the best I’ve ever had because he’s patient and, like me, he’s a student of the sport,” Carter said. “We’re learning together and he’s not worried about winning. He cares more about me performing within myself and focusing on what I need to do to be successful.”

Carter loves jumping, but she says that she wants to make a name for herself and American jumpers on the global level because of the current Jamaican dominance in jumping.

“In Jamaica, track is more widely accepted like baseball or basketball is here,” Carter said. “They grow up learning the sport because greater emphasis is placed on it.”

With hard work, time and practice, Carter hopes to reach the Olympics one day. With Carter’s extreme drive and work ethic, anything is possible. According to her head coach, her dream could become a reality.

“In order to be a world-class athlete you need the talent – which she definitely has – the belief that you can achieve it, and the drive to do it,” Webb said. “If she continues to work hard and stays focused, she could definitely do it. I’d like to see her make the Olympic trials next season.”

Carter has career goals outside sports. After college she wants to pay her way through graduate school and get her master’s degree in London, England. She wants to go to school in England because she loves to travel so much and wants to go some place where nobody knows her.

After two years in England, she wants to return to the States to open recreational facilities for children. These facilities would feature all types of sports and coaches to guide the children. Ultimately, Carter wants to teach and coach others.

Carter is a great athlete, but people are her true love; this is apparent after spending time with her. She wants to make a difference and be the successful person who doesn’t move away.

Above all, Carter wants to help people find their passions in life and offered some advice. “Don’t let other people’s opinion shape who you are, find your own inner peace,” Carter said.

As the Pitt track and field teams compete this outdoor season, Webb is confident that Carter will continue to learn and perform well for the team. He also believes in Carter’s dreams.

“She’s competitive in anything and everything,” Webb said. “People like her are always competitive at everything they do and are usually good at what they do, too. As a person, Melanie is a fierce competitor, but she’s one of the sweetest girls on the team.”