What does Jillian Mele, ’05, get asked about most after moving from Philadelphia to New York City to co-host one of the highest-rated national morning shows in the country? Her Eagles allegiance, of course. Mele laughs, “Everyone in Philly says, ‘you better not become a Giants fan!’” To which she responds with an emphatic, “Of course not!”

Mele is used to fielding questions from local sports fans. Since graduating as a communication major from La Salle, her broadcasting career has taken her from northern Maine, back to her hometown airwaves. Mele spent seven years at NBC 10 as a weekend anchor before co-hosting Comcast SportsNet Philly’s Breakfast on Broad morning show. There, it was her job to cover sports in a city that is notorious for not holding back punches. But Mele held her own, catching the attention of more than just local viewers.

Soon after Breakfast on Broad ended, Mele received a phone call from FOX News and was packing her bags to move to New York City as a member of the popular morning show, FOX & Friends. “The show has been everything,” Mele says. “It’s just been absolutely incredible.”

Mele insists that she wasn’t always comfortable in the spotlight, saying, “Growing up, I was extremely shy. But for some reason, I came out of my shell at La Salle. And that changed the game for me.”

Just months after arriving at FOX, Mele was promoted to co-host of FOX & Friends FIRST. But, Mele says she was already blessed to land her dream job of working in her hometown early on in her career with NBC10. “After that, I created different goals,” she says.

“One of them was working at FOX at this level. So, I have accomplished yet another dream by being here right now.” Wherever she goes from here, though, Mele says she’ll always be a Philly girl at heart. “You never really lose that.”