Jan. 11, 2009 — A week-long People to People Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., last summer made a lasting impression on 16-year-old John Grigg Jr.
"The program taught me leadership qualities that I will always remember," Grigg says. "It was a great experience, improving me personally."
For several years, Grigg, a junior at Country Day School, has had a role in student leadership. His peers have elected him to student council since ninth grade.
He was shy and nervous before the summit, Grigg says. But he acted relaxed and confident during a recent Source interview.
According to its website, the purpose of People to People International is to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures. President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the organization in 1956.
Someone in the organization noticed his potential and sent him information on taking part in the People to People Leadership Summit, Grigg says. He thinks it may have been his high PSAT scores — he did very well in the reading-comprehension segment of the test.
"At first I didn't feel enthusiastic about the program," Grigg says. "I thought I would be bored, but I benefited greatly from the program, and I was glad I went."
About 100 students in elementary through high school attended the summit, he says. The students were placed in groups of 12, with Grigg's group including students from Belgium, Jordan, Jamaica and China. He stays in touch with them via email. Another St. Croix student, Xavior Jeffers, also attended the summit.
Events and projects challenged the group members' skills. Grigg's group created a project to develop a future community-service plan. The plan was to develop a cancer-awareness center teaching healthy living, providing cancer education and awareness.
"I was inspired working on the cancer project because my grandfather had died from cancer," Grigg says. His grandfather, Herbert Grigg Jr., was a big influence on him, teaching him about morals, values, manners and respect.
"My grandfather was a very respected man in the community, too," Grigg says.
The summit also taught him life lessons.
"The projects taught me to respect and value other's opinions," Grigg says. "I also learned not to pull myself forward, but to bring the best out of other people."
The summit was held at a university, where Grigg was able to get a "sneak peek" at college life.
College is in the plans for Grigg's future, and he has begun the process of checking out different universities. He is looking at the University of Maryland and the Institute of Technology in Florida, where he is thinking about the majoring in engineering. He also would like to be a video-game designer.
"I definitely love my island, and I want to come back here after college," Grigg says.
He studies a lot to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average at Country Day, but he says he knows he can do better. His favorite classes are American literature and science.
"John is very engaged, focused and very inquisitive," says Vic Johnson, his history and English teacher at Country Day.
His classmates also speak highly of him.
"John is very generous and nice," Anika Rabsatt says. "And he likes to help people."
Grigg is the son of Julia Sheen and John Grigg Sr., and he has six siblings. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He also enjoys reading fantasy and self-improvement books. He likes to play basketball, listen to music and walk around his Estate Princess neighborhood.
Too many young people let material things control them, he says.
"Kid's lives revolve around material objects too much today," Grigg says. "We need to think about the bigger picture and learn leadership attitudes."
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