Jo was meant to be in front of people. Maybe as a pop idol a la Britney Spears (minus the meltdowns), maybe as a star athlete. Or maybe, fortunately for us, as a representative of Windsong Productions. As an account manager, Jo impresses clients with her enthusiasm and expertise. As PR manager, she’s in charge of Windsong’s public face (as well as the face of our various other projects). She always represents us well, but now it’s time to find out what Jo herself represents (spoiler alert: it’s mostly shoes.)
1. She has a wire in her right elbow from breaking it all the way through during a basketball game when she was 15. Sergio, she forgives you.
2. She has eight godchildren.
3. She once won a Las Vegas American Idol singing competition. Her song of choice was the Fugees’ version of “Killing Me Softly.” There were only two contestants.
4. She has played basketball since the age of four and passed up the opportunity to play for the WNBA because she got this gig at Windsong. (Partially true)
5. Her favorite meal is her Uncle Jess’ fried rice. And in very close second, fried chicken with hot sauce and honey.
6. Her name is a combination of her biological grandfathers’ names: JOse and ANtolin. Her parents added another “n” so people wouldn’t mistakenly call her Joan. That didn’t work. At all.
7. She learned to play the piano, clarinet, flute, and drums when she was a kid. She cannot play a single melody on any of the aforementioned instruments now.
8. She has more than 125 pairs of shoes. Most of those are six-inch stilettos.
9. She understands Tagalog (national language of the Philippines) fluently, but will almost always answer in English when speaking to her relatives. Jo says, “kamusta sa aking pamilya sa Pilipinas. Mabuhay!”
10. She once bought a jacket solely because Britney Spears owns the same one.
11. When she was a tween, she used to barricade her bedroom door with furniture so she could perform a full set list of 90s jams without interruption. Choreography, live mic, and all. Every day.
12. Her favorite ice cream flavor is coconut pineapple from Rite Aid.
13. Growing up, she loved watching the movies “My Girl,” “Father of the Bride,” “Look Who’s Talking,” “Now and Then,” and “Problem Child 2.”
14. She tested out of preschool. The exam administrator showed her a photo and asked her, “What is this person doing?” The answer they were looking for was: “going down the stairs.” Jo answered, “He is going down the stairs to get a cup of milk in the refrigerator in the kitchen.” Baby. Genius. Or her mom made this story up to make her feel smart.
Jo being a baller.
This is Bay. One of Jo’s eight incredibly adorable godchildren.
Jo’s excited to be in kindergarten pose.
