In 2006, Chris Mellides graduated from Suffolk County Community College where he majored in journalism. It was during his tenure that he became heavily involved with the Compass, a campus publication.

Aside from overseeing the production and distribution of the bi-weekly paper as managing editor, Mellides also worked as A&E editor for two consecutive years and frequently wrote his sometimes controversial and irreverent column. Tackling political faux pas and mainstream pop culture weirdos, while also producing examples of solid journalism through his brand of untethered original reporting. 

After graduating from Suffolk County Community College, Mellides was accepted to Stony Brook University’s School of Journalism program, where in addition to focusing on academics, worked as a copy editor and feature writer for a leading campus publication called the Stony Brook Press. 

During his final semester at Stony Brook University, Mellides engaged in weeks of tireless and dogged reporting on Long Island’s growing heroin epidemic. He then produced a blog exploring drug dependency and the health and social risks posed by the deadly opiate. This study served as his senior project. 

In 2010, Mellides received a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Stony Brook University with a concentration in online editing and reporting.