About Face: Tina Grandinetti
Some people are lucky enough to experience one defining moment in their lives that brings them a step closer to becoming who they truly are. For me, that experience stands out as a freeing, and motivating experience, something that changed my way of thinking and inspired me to be something more than I already was.
I was a junior in high school, barely scraping by with mediocre grades and a horrible attitude towards school. Then I discovered two amazing teachers who opened my mind and made a transformation possible. By challenging my perspectives and making me pay attention to the bigger picture, they helped me become socially aware and globally conscious. One day, one of these teachers assigned a class project where we had to give a speech about something we felt passionately about. I wrote my speech about the apathy of teenagers in America and their lack of interest in global issues. My goal was to change the mindset of the people in my class, and as I gave the speech, and felt the response of my audience, I knew that this would be my passion. In that moment I decided that hard work was not below me, and school was not a waste of time, but a way to prepare myself to become an agent of positive change.
Standing there, in front of that class, voice trembling and hands shaking, I realized who I wanted to become and what I wanted to do with my life. It wasn’t as if I have a clear image of what I wanted my future to be, but more like I finally found that feeling of doing something I am meant to do in life. While I am still not sure of exactly what that is, this moment in my life made me realize that whatever it is, I want to make the world a more hopeful place.