A passing comment from the high school French Teacher allowed Shonda Pettiford to leave Florida for Massachusetts to experience the Smith College summer biology program, which changed her life. There she discovered she didn’t love journalism like she thought she would, that she really wanted to make a difference in the lives of young people in the community (particularly in sports and athletics) and that she has a special talent for taking on roles no one has ever held before. Listen to understand the range of experiences Shonda took on to cultivate that superpower. This interview was conducted by Humera Fasihuddin standing in for Tara Rahmani.