Melinda Doolittle Visits Her Alma Mater
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Fans started gathering at 6 a.m. on the Nashville campus Friday to welcome back Melinda Doolittle, who graduated from the school in '99. By the time the Idol semifinalist arrived in a white Mustang convertible, several thousand people lined both sides of the street – many wearing T-shirts that read "Belmont Hearts Melinda Doolittle" and holding up signs that read "Doolittle's Da Bomb." The singer wiped tears from her eyes and looked toward the sky before waving to the crowd.
Belmont president Robert Fisher welcomed Doolittle back to the school where she was once the mascot, Bruiser the Bruin, by unveiling a street sign on campus that read "Melinda Doolittle Way."
"We at Belmont have known for a long time what America is just finding out and that's just how good you are," Fisher said to the singer before calling her to the stage. "What America needs is an idol like you, someone who lives their life like you."
An emotional Doolittle stood before the cheering crowd and said, "I'm a mess. Okay, my mom is worse than I am so I'm okay." But the former back-up singer was able to compose herself before belting out "Home" and "Since U Been Gone." The crowd went wild, cheering "You've gotta win," "We love you, Melinda," "We know you’re gonna win," – and even "Melinda for President!"
"This is probably one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced," she said. "It's so great to be home. I just wish I could stay a couple of days." Later, Doolittle told PEOPLE what the homecoming meant to her. "Belmont has been so influential in my life – the people there, the staff are all a part of what I'm doing now," she said. "It means so much for me to go back and again say thank you. You go there pursuing whatever your life goal is going to be and then to come back smack dab in the middle of it, it is a full-circle moment."
• Reporting by EILEEN FINAN
