Only a person who is a CEO and owns a Master’s Degree from Harvard can shrug off working for Steve Jobs at Apple as no big deal.
On Thursday, March 6, Amy Antonelli, Humanitarian Experiences (HXP) CEO and former Apple spokesperson, spoke to the Highland student body about her experiences and how they had changed throughout her life as a guest for the Ram Fam speaker series. From selling her small internet start-up to Jobs, to volunteering in India after a devastating Tsunami, Highland students were captivated by Antonelli’s life changing stories.
“When I first started out my life,” Antonelli said. “I thought that my entire life would look like what my mom’s life looked like, which is my mom was a stay-at-home mom . . . and I thought that’s what I would do too. But as my life kind of unfolded I just didn’t have that opportunity.”
While having the opportunity to be an Apple spokesperson and work with Jobs, Antonelli was invited to travel to India after a Tsunami that destroyed thousands of homes and assist in relief efforts. After weeks in Indian leprosy colonies and many eye-opening encounters, Antonelli knew that this is where she needed to be.
“I went home and I quit my job and I moved to India and I lived in these leprosy colonies for the next seven years,” Antonelli said.
After her efforts in India, she became the CEO of HXP, a non-profit organization that operates sustainable service trips to 65 locations around the world for youth to assist developing countries. Antonelli continues to direct HXP as the CEO, sending an average of 7,000 teens on service trips annually.
“This is just the beginning. This world that you live in right now, it’s not real. It’s four years in high school, and then the world opens up,” Antonelli said.
