Booker High School STRIVE Recipients

Giacomo Mutti | Giacomo was 13 when he, his brother and their parents left a close extended family in their native Italy to move to Sarasota in search of better jobs and schools. Eager to learn and assimilate, Giacomo was dismayed to discover that the British English dialect taught in Italian classrooms did not equip him to understand or participate in class discussions or social conversations in his new home. The usually sociable teen felt isolated and lonely. Deciding that his family’s efforts to provide a better future in America would not be in vain, Giacomo mustered his courage and determination to challenge himself with rigorous Cambridge AICE classes and take on leadership roles in school and community organizations. He excelled in all areas, earning a 4.73 GPA and acceptance into prestigious universities offering international business, his program of choice.

Advice to entering freshmen: Don’t limit yourself to activities and subjects you already know. Explore the unfamiliar. That’s how you grow.