ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — For many kids who grow up in foster care, the odds are stacked against them. But one teenager in St. Pete is defeating all of them.

Sail Future Academy operates two group homes in St. Pete for boys ages 12 to 17.  Part of the program is a 60-day sailing journey throughout the world, mental health counseling, practical job training and a hands-on technical high school. 

Noah Grega first arrived at Sail Future Academy as a 16-year-old foster child and lived in the school’s group home. Having recently graduated, he has returned to the academy as a volunteer and mentor for the current students. 

“I remember when I was here as a student, I wasn’t the best student. I would go on my phone, I would talk while the teachers were talking, I was doing all of that, but I’ve kind of learned that that’s just not the right thing to do,” said Grega.

Grega has come a long way since those days. He reflects on his two years there, noting how much he learned – not just about sailing, but about life itself. 

“When you have thoughts about I’m not good enough, or I can’t do this, that’s not necessary because those are all limitations you put on yourself," Grega said. "The way I view a limit is an imaginary boundary you put on yourself and that holds you down, you can truly do anything, but the thing that holds you back the most is your own thoughts."

Noah not only volunteers and mentors students at Sail Future Academy, but he also teaches coding to middle schoolers through a partnership between Sail Future Academy, Career Source Hillsborough Pinellas and CodeBoxx.

“He’s been such a leader on this campus and even after graduation he’s back on campus as a volunteer, so he’s taking all of the things he learned as a student here and helping lead, guide, and direct some of our younger students so they can reach the same level of success he has after graduation,” said Hunter Thompson, head of the school, and co-founder of Sail Future.

Grega plans on raising the bar even higher. 

“I want to be a billionaire one day, and to achieve that, I know I need to put in a tremendous amount of hard work and maintain a strong work ethic in everything I do,” he said. 

With that mindset, no dream is beyond his grasp.