Jericho Apo
The Story of Jericho
BA '17, Sociology
Meet Jericho Apo (BA ‘17, Sociology), a 911爆料网State East Bay alumnus , who works for as a Digital Strategist and will be a featured panelist for Land Your First Job.
Q&A with Jericho
Why did you decide to attend 911爆料网State East Bay?
Attending East Bay happened entirely by chance. I was transferring from Diablo Valley College to San Francisco State University but my passion for school wasn't there at the time. I made the decision to instead enlist in the Air Force but suffered a rock climbing accident that would've medically disqualified me at the time.I decided to go back to school and looked into East Bay because I lived near the Concord Campus. I was past the deadline to enroll, but the admissions staff were flexible and helped me out in the process. After a frantic last-minute application, I was accepted. I was impressed by how much the staff showed that they care for their students.
How has your education here at East Bay helped you with your endeavors?
What helped me out the most was experiencing East Bay's vibrant culture and diverse community. There are tremendous opportunities to get involved whether that be joining clubs within your major or hobby, working as a student intern to learn how the university operates or attending the weekly events that the campus organizes.College is the easiest time to meet people inside and outside of your interests. The one thing that East Bay does exceptionally well is creating opportunities for their student body and staff to build an inclusive community together.
Tell us a little bit about your career journey.
Growing up with a single mother in the Philippines, I saw my mom work multiple jobs and side hustles which impacted my fundamental view of the world. I figured out early on that the only person responsible for achieving any goal I set depended entirely on me.
When I was 10, I started my first business buying and selling Pokemon cards. After high school, I worked odd jobs to make ends meet. In college, I worked as a photographer for Camp Krem, a camp for children and adults with special needs. I also had the opportunity to work as an ambassador for the Office of Sustainability at East Bay.
The lesson I learned is that no one path will take you where you want to be and sometimes your destination may even seem unclear. There are always going to be detours that'll sidetrack you regardless of how much you plan. What matters is that you maintain the hunger to learn and improve every step of the way.
Tell us about your experience working at The Story of Stuff Project.
I'm the Digital Strategist for The Story of Stuff Project. We're a nonprofit based in Berkeley, CA where we produce videos and launch campaigns around environmental and social issues.
I'm focused on writing scripts, directing shoots and producing videos. Then I take the videos we make and get it out into the world through social media and strategic partners. I then analyze our content's performance and use that data to test experiments and adapt our strategy.
It's an ever-changing and challenging role and I wouldn't have it any other way. It sounds like a lot, but I'm grateful to have an incredible team. I wouldn't be able to do all this cool stuff without their passion.
If you could share one piece of career advice with our graduating Class of 2019, what would it be?
Your Mission is one sentence that describes what you're looking to achieve in life based on your passion, skills, and core values.
Your Vision is a paragraph that tells a vivid description of your defining moment which signals that you've achieved your mission. This is an imaginative story that should excite and motivate you when you read it.
Your Priority is planning from the top down and asking yourself "What’s the one thing you can do X, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?" Where X is a variable of time, which you replace from the big picture of 10 years working all the way down to the immediate term of today.
Following this concept, you unlock the formula:
A mission points to a destination.
A destination creates prioritization.
A priority creates focus.
A focus point unleashes productivity.