Priesthood Class of 2020 (Catholic Standard):
Future priest’s vocation journey wound through Hollywood and back home again
My life before the seminary:
I graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, in December 2007, double majoring in Finance and International Business. Upon graduating, I was accepted into a two-year rotational program at Fannie Mae in Washington, DC, where I had the opportunity to work in different departments of the Finance Division. After completing the program, I accepted a full-time position at the company as a financial analyst in the Corporate Planning & Reporting group. After spending two years there, I accepted a senior financial analyst position at Sony Pictures Entertainment in Los Angeles, CA, working in the Home Entertainment Division. I specialized in doing the international budgeting and forecasting for Sony’s movies and TV shows when they go on DVD, Blu-ray, iTunes, Redbox, Netflix, etc.
What convinced me to enter the seminary:
A friend and former FOCUS missionary whom I knew from my days at the University of Maryland invited me to his diaconate ordination in Chicago in November 2013. Having never been to an ordination before, I didn’t know what to expect. The ordination was beautiful, but it wasn’t until I landed back in Los Angeles after that ordination weekend that the Lord made it explicit clear to me (on one of those blue SuperShuttle buses no less) that He wanted me to discern the priesthood. Ever since, I couldn’t shake off the voice telling me to give seminary a shot.
Other interests include:
One of my biggest passions is singing, along with exercising, hiking, surfing, and trying new foods and restaurants.