WSET.com - ABC13Living with a Last Name That Starts With Z by Melinda Zosh

Since I'm one of the new reporters at WSET, you probably don't know much about me or if I've met you around town, I probably said, "Hi, my name's Melinda Zosh." You probably hesitated for a minute. Or you might be the person that was thinking, "Zosh...that's unusual…"

Unusual indeed. So let's talk about my last name. Most kids with the "A" last names cringe. They have no choice but to sit at the front of the class, right under the teacher's eye. The "Z" kids always sit in the back of the room, almost unnoticed. Let me tell you something. This was a big problem for my scrawny grade-school self. I started wearing glasses before I could even say the word, and my four-eyes couldn't do the trick. I was still blind, and couldn't see a darn thing on those chalk boards. I still wonder how I got through 17 years of school. I guess I squinted a lot. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the anxiety of hearing my name called last. That's right, the anxiety of thinking that the teacher is handing out the best grades first and the worst last. Yep, I was that kid.

Yet, I conquered the clear challenges of the whole alphabetical arrangement thing. I started learning that I would forever be branded with the "Z." Google doesn't keep any secrets. Somehow, I managed to find my high school cross country race times (trust me, nothing record setting.) I guess Zosh is a pretty unusual name.

And with that type of name, I decided to truly make my name for myself. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Liberty University this May with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and minors in government and writing.

I've interviewed everyone from CBS' host of Face the Nation Bob Schieffer to Booboo Stewart, a teen werewolf in the Twilight Saga's Eclipse. Now, as a reporter and video journalist, I have the opportunity to shoot and edit video, write, interview, you name it.

Now, you might be wondering, "What does my last name have to do with anything at all?" Well, I am Zosh, and Zosh is me. My great-great-grandparents brought the name with them from the Czech Republic many, many years ago. Once they arrived in America, I'm sure they patiently waited for their names to be read...all the way at the bottom of the list. I guess sitting at the back of the class wasn't so bad after all.

Please e-mail me at: mzosh@wsset.com.