Preston Centuolo: “Today’s youth are bombarded by messages of what it takes to be cool. For some, cool is being in a gang, for others, it’s drugs, alcohol, or sex.”

I believe that teenagers need to find out who they are before they can make sound choices on their future. They need to know what they believe in, what they are good at, and what their goals and dreams are.

My message is aimed at helping kids figure out what their dreams are, giving them the inspiration to go after those goals, and then encouraging them to be true to themselves instead of sacrificing their goals to peer pressure, violence or victimization.

My hunger is to help youth overcome adversity. I excel at working with troubled youth, because I show them acceptance, love, and respect. The more troubled they are, the more success I seem to have in relating to them and empowering the message of hope.

My goal is to inspire the leaders of tomorrow to overcome, whether there are problems in their home, their school, or their neighborhood. I want to make the world a better place to live for all of us.