Melissa Rifkin

Melissa was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. When she was young, she would put on shows for her preschool class and sing New Kids on the Block. Whenever there was a stage or an opportunity to perform, she did because singing and acting was what she wanted to do with her life. At five years old, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, but even then, she never gave up hope that she was destined for greatness. As a teenager she would do karaoke contests winning first place in quite a few contests. From there she went on to take acting lessons and was involved in choir throughout all of middle school and high school. Tragedy struck at age 17 when she lost her father to a long battle with an illness, and it prompted a departure from the industry, as he was a huge motivating factor. Melissa met a Producer who convinced her to get back into the industry and not give up on her dream. Through hard work and determination, she landed roles on Chicago Med, along with a few other