These days, Piper Melbye soaks in the hustle and bustle of Washington, D.C. (D.C.) and is loving her busy life there. Back in 2016, Melbye graduated from Rock Canyon High School after growing up from the eighth grade on in The Village at Castle Pines.

Melbye was a competitive and high school cheerleader as well as a high school golfer and is the youngest of three siblings. Her family has always been very active politically and at an early age, Melbye became aware of politics as she watched her father travel to and from our nation’s capital to volunteer for various campaigns.

After high school, she pursued her undergraduate degree in business from University of Colorado Boulder, with a focus on marketing. She also earned a global business certification by way of her study abroad program in Barcelona, Spain during her junior year. She also traveled to Brazil during the business school’s annual trip.

Studying and learning abroad was a pivotal part of Melbye’s shift to adulthood. “It helped me grow as a person and made me confident to live anywhere during my life,” she said.

The summer after returning from Barcelona, Melbye headed straight to D.C. for a summer internship with the Department of Energy as a political intern. “I really started to pay attention in college to politics and after interning in D.C., I became very passionate,” said Melbye.

After graduating college in 2020, she returned to D.C. without a job but quickly started her journey interning with Minnesota Congressman, Pete Stauber, before becoming a staff assistant at a lobbying firm in the political and policy arena. Melbye ultimately found her niche with digital agency Direct Persuasion in June 2021, where she currently works as a senior analyst.

Her job focuses on Republican digital politics and converting people into donors and citizens into voters using digital tools for list building and online fundraising. “It’s been a perfect mix with my business and marketing education and my passion for politics. I am able to be involved and support issues that I believe in, and that pushes me through my career,” she added.

Melbye will soon turn 25 and she loves where she is in life. Through her experiences, she has been able to grow as a person and professionally, not just have a job. She wants to continue to cultivate her capabilities at Direct Persuasion and hopes to develop a larger role there.

Melbye has a tight-knit group of friends, many of whom work on both sides of the political aisle. “Friendships have always been easy with differing viewpoints, as long as we listen to each other and can poke fun at one another’s political party. There is always something that we can laugh about,” she smiled. D.C. feels small despite it being a huge, global metropolis. As a bonus, Melbye’s older sister lives a block away and her father still frequently travels there.

Coming full circle, Melbye is grateful for her younger years in a small town. “Growing up in Castle Pines shapes all of us. It instilled values that I’ve brought everywhere,” she said.

By Elean Gersack; photos courtesy of Piper Melbye