Life & Work with Andre Antonetty of mableton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andre Antonetty.

Andre, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
There was a time in my life when I truly believed that every setback, every struggle and every failure seemed permanent, and every mistake felt like a definition of who I was – until I finally decided it didn’t have to be.

My story began when my 15-year-old mother delivered me to this world at the height of the crack epidemic in New York, during the late 1980’s, in the middle of a February winter. Like most kids throughout the 80’s and 90’s who were exposed to the drug crisis, I was born with opioid withdrawal due to prenatal cocaine exposure. Shortly after my birth I was placed in custody of the State and placed in foster care after being found inside of an apartment alone by the local fire department. It was later determined that the neighboring apartment caught fire after the space heater malfunctioned and began to burn.

Abandonment and addiction. Demoralized and depressed. This was my refuge that created moments in my life that often caused me to give up easier, accept failure and take comfort with simply just giving up. That attitude led to being arrested several times, fights at school and heavy drinking before I was 21 years old.
One evening when released from the local jail after being arrest for a DUI, I used my last few dollars to collect my truck from the impound. On the way home, my truck ran out of gas and broke down directly in the center of a major intersection during rush hour. Honks, curse words and yelling is all I heard as I laid my head on the steering wheel. And suddenly the noise went silent. “This was it”; I told myself. “I’ve reached bottom”.

This was a direct metaphor for my life path. I was literally stalled in the middle of the noise and the chaos surrounding my life. That’s when the truth hit me. Although the depression, the distrust of others and the acceptance of the many excuses I had made for myself where real and undeniable, so too was the silence that followed. For the first time, I stopped blaming circumstances and other people and started listening to what the moment was asking of me. To be honest and confront who I was and who I wanted to become.

Since that moment, I was able to serve my country with United States Army, with deployments to Afghanistan, Dubai, and Kuwait. I graduated from Morehouse College right here in Atlanta with my Bachelors in Biology and later obtained my Master’s from American Military University with a degree in International Relations where I was able to work for the Pentagon where I worked with several United States Generals assisting with very important intelligence work during the Obama Presidency.

Following my time serving my country as a patriot, I wanted to redirect my efforts to local volunteering and public relations within the city of Atlanta where I helped to organize and participate in protest highlighting changes needed within the justice system. I committed to the protest by protesting in action by joining the Dekalb County Police department. I chose to reach other youth by volunteering as a coach for a little league soccer team. I later challenged myself even further and committed to entering law school by studying case law in between emergency calls as a police officer, I was later accepted into New England Law in Boston, Massachusetts. While attending law school, from there I found a love for aviation and recently committed to ATP Flight School located in Fulton County, Ga.

What once defined me and limited me, later became the foundation for my growth. I chose to redefine myself not by what I endured as a child and a teen, but by how I chose to rise from it. Reinventing and challenging yourself to new ideas different from those in your comfort zone, is already a win, it already made you stronger. For me, exploring completely new and uncomfortable experiences didn’t just change what I can do – it changed how I seen myself. I no longer see myself as an angry and abandoned little boy, bitter towards the world. I see myself as a pilot, a lawyer, community advocate, a coach, a cop, a veteran, and entrepreneur.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Some of the major struggles along the way for me definitely where the run ins with law enforcement and the limitations that was placed on me from a young age after having a criminal record.

My struggles with PTSD from the war in Afghanistan and losing friends overseas placed me in a downward depression and addiction to alcohol following my return.

My struggles with abandonment and relationships as a child, I was often alone and lacked the social skills to communicate. This lead to my later years of having difficult communications skills and trust of others.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Following graduating from Law School in the fall of 2027, I plan to work start my own firm in the Metro Atlanta area.
Amongst my peers and my friends Im known for my adventurous spirit. A person willing to try new things and someone who loves to fly. I’m hoping that I can start a youth program within the metro and inner city of Atlanta, that teaches young, troubled students about flight and the possibility of a future in aviation and exposing them to different horizons, both literally and figuratively

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I wish I could have been more open to help as a youth. I was stubborn in my ways and believed that I could do it all alone and that I needed no one. How far from the truth and naive I was. Today, it was the relationships with my friends and love ones that saved my life and supported my goals. Also, I wish I would not have wasted time asking myself “is this something I want to do”. I would often psych myself out of doing that thing I originally considered. I should of just jumped right in and make my decision then.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kennedy1v1