{"id":8312,"date":"2015-05-18T15:32:56","date_gmt":"2015-05-18T19:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/arts\/?p=8312"},"modified":"2024-01-30T13:15:23","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T18:15:23","slug":"from-opera-student-to-unesco-ambassador-an-spc-students-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/arts-humanities-design-educational-information\/from-opera-student-to-unesco-ambassador-an-spc-students-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"From opera student to UNESCO Ambassador, an SPC student\u2019s journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Amy<\/a>When Amy Currotto moved to Florida from Memphis, Tennessee before her senior year in high school, she was still trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life.<\/p>\n

While her drive as an adaptive track athlete<\/a> led her to win three first places at the 2011 Florida state finals, her passion for opera took center stage.<\/p>\n

After studying opera at The Hoffman Institute at Ruth Eckerd Hall she met SPC vocal professor Marilyn Michaels, and attended SPC\u2019s 2011 Summer Vocal Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe summer vocal institute is an incredible program,\u201d she said. \u201cThey bring in great clinicians from all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fall she enrolled at SPC as a vocal performance major focusing on a career in opera. The next few years were the start of a new and unexpected path.<\/p>\n

An unexpected turn<\/h3>\n

While studying opera and taking general education classes at SPC, a friend encouraged her to try out for St. Petersburg College\u2019s Model UN team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was telling me how much it changed his life,\u201d Currotto said. \u201cIt seemed so different from what I was doing but I went out on a limb and applied.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Amy<\/a>
Amy Currotto, center, chairs the UN Environment Program at the Global Classrooms Model UN Conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She was accepted into the program and hasn\u2019t looked back since, attending everything Model UN she could get her hands on. Her first conference was in Washington D.C. in 2013 and she has attended four other conferences with the St. Petersburg College Model UN team, winning numerous awards.<\/p>\n

In addition to competing, she has also served as a staff member for several conferences locally and at the national level, giving her a different perspective on the Model UN and uncovering a new passion.<\/p>\n

SPC\u2019s Model UN team received the Distinguished Delegation Award at the National Model United Nations (NMUN) conference held in April in New York. The award places them in the top 13 percent of the international pool of 5,000 college and university delegates.<\/p>\n

View pictures on the SPC Model UN Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur team has produced several students who have decided to change their career goals to international politics or business,\u201d said SPC Professor Earl Fratus. \u201cThe Model United Nations sparks a passion in many of these students who might not have been sure what their future might entail. SPC is producing international leaders through its Model United Nations Team.\u201d<\/p>\n

A newfound passion for disability law<\/h3>\n

An experience in her wheelchair in a New York subway sparked a passion in Currotto for disability law.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in a subway one day with my friends and I couldn\u2019t get through the turnstile,\u201d she said. \u201cMy friends had already carried me down the stairs only to find that the handicapped turnstile was locked.\u201d<\/p>\n

After pressing a button for help, she was told she could either get up and walk through or call an ambulance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hit me that there’s not enough advocacy for disabled people around the world,\u201d she said. \u201cAs someone who handles this every single day I thought, if not me, then who?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyes lit up as she explained that disability law is not just domestic \u2013 it\u2019s a human rights issue that impacts people all over the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t wake up one day and think I want to be a lawyer,\u201d she said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t something I was planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currotto is taking classes at SPC and the University of South Florida (USF). She plans to graduate from USF next spring with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. She is also studying for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) at Blackstone Prep and hopes to start law school the following fall.<\/p>\n

Summer UNESCO internship<\/h3>\n

Recently, Currotto was chosen to be an Ambassador for the UNESCO Center for Peace<\/a>. The two-week camp, held in July in Washington, D.C. provides high schools students from around the world with a unique learning experience focused on:<\/p>\n