Kimberly Charles reflects on a summer job that had a major impact in her life.
Forty-five years ago, as a military brat, I was a 16-year-old with a summer job in La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy, working for the US Navy’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation office. I thought I was there to learn accounting and improve my Italian. I had no idea I was about to meet someone who would change the entire trajectory of my life.
My boss was Giannina, a Sardinian woman who worked for the Navy as an accountant. We clicked immediately. I asked her to speak only in Italian with me, determined to master the language — especially numbers, since one accounting mistake could be costly. But our professional relationship quickly blossomed into something deeper: a friendship that would reshape how I saw the world.
Giannina possessed something I’d never encountered before — an unwavering commitment to serving others. When I went off to school in the fall, we stayed in close touch. She had a serendipitous meeting with Mother Teresa at the airport in Rome and decided to go work for her in India for a year. This wasn’t just volunteer work for her; it was her calling. Her dedication took her to Calcutta, where she worked directly with Mother Teresa herself, bringing grace and humanity to the most desperate circumstances imaginable. She traveled the world and become a godmother to young people from Brazil who needed support.
Watching Giannina’s selfless service ignited something in me. That summer, I didn’t just learn Italian and accounting — I learned what it meant to give back. Her example inspired me to start tutoring in disadvantaged communities in Washington, DC as a college freshman. That was just the beginning. For 45 years now, I’ve continued volunteering with nonprofits and causes, all because of what Giannina showed me that summer. Thanks to her, I learned that the most meaningful work isn’t what you do for a paycheck — it’s what you do for others. With a Perspective, I’m Kimberly Noel Charles.