Melissa C. Doi: Dancing Through
Life
Beneath
Melissa C. Doi's crisp Wall Street veneer beat the
ebullient heart of a ballerina. Had her physique
cooperated, Ms. Doi often said, she would have become a
professional ballet dancer.
Instead, she followed her heart along a winding path
of professional exploration. At Northwestern University
she studied engineering, then switched to sociology.
After graduation she took a job in public relations, then
moved to banking. Four years ago she joined IQ Financial
Systems, which develops financial software, and quickly
became a manager.
She danced through it all. "She would get happy and
just dance," said Lara Beth Metzger, a friend and former
classmate. "Salsa, kick lines, everything."
Ms. Doi, 32, was an original thinker who questioned
almost everything. "Whenever we had a staff meeting you
could count on Melissa to ask the first question," said
Eyal Altaras, her supervisor at IQ Financial.
Ms. Doi was especially close to her mother, Evelyn
Alderete, and bought her a condo in the Bronx where they
lived together. They were supposed to leave for a
vacation in Italy on Sept. 14. "She could be a little
pain in the neck," Ms. Alderete said. "But she was the
best daughter anyone could have."
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