In high school, people knew me as JayRock85 or Jerry D (damn, the things we called ourselves as kids!). I ran track for 3 years (freshman through junior years) and played varsity football my senior year at Mira Mesa High School, graduating in 1985. After graduation, I did things I’m not proud of… (LOL), and then went to work in the financial services industry (mortage servicing). I was blessed with some great mentors, and eventually started and sold several of my own businesses. I’ll admit it, I got a little cocky, and in 1998 I decided to start a new company and hire a bunch of my friends. DOH! Reality shook me (HARD), and I pretty much lost everything. That put me in a pretty dark place, where I wallowed for far longer than I care to admit.
In 2014, my heart failed and I thought I was done. Clearly, God had different plans for me, so after emergency open heart surgery, I re-discovered myself. I’m now a full time photographer and I have a bunch of photographersm videographers and assistants that work with me to help people feel, capture and share what matters most. I’m proud to say that in 2019 my company (Fotility) was recognized as one of the 10 Best Event Photographers in San Diego! Life is definitely less stressful for me now, and I’m blessed to be very active in the Mira Mesa community, which I truly enjoy! I co-sponsor a free, monthly community meetup called Hancock Hangoutz that exposes friends and neighbors to local businesses in a relaxing, no-sales allowed enviroment (we even have appetizer sponsors and raffle off prizes!). Through Hancock Hangoutz, I also co-host and volunteer at the annual Fear the Mecca Golf Tournament, which is an awesome charity event that donates all proceeds to the MMHS Football Program. Life is so good!
I’m really looking forward to what the MMHS Alumni Association has to offer. In this digital age, there are so many apps and ‘social networks’ for us to stalk and reconnect with people. But very few of those connects us with a common thread and allows us to work together to have a positive impact on others, and that’s what really excites me about this alumni association!
Thanks,
Jerry
Jerry has elected to share his email address with MMHS Alumni Association members. To contact Jerry, please view the Member Contact List on the MMHS Alumni Association private Facebook group. We do not share member emails and/or phone numbers on our public site, to prevent spammers.
What activities or sports were you involved in at school?
I ran track for 3.5 years, and played varsity football my senior year.
What is your fondest memory during your time at MMHS?
Surfing before school woke me up, open campus lunches were awesome, so was having actual locker bays…I have very little memories of the classes I took at MMHS, but tons of memories of what we did in between classes, during lunch breaks, after school, etc!
Can you name someone from MMHS that you’d like to reconnect with and why?
Oh man, so many people! Can’t wait to see what doors this association opens for us to reconnect!
Did you go to college after MMHS or join the service? If so, where did you attend or join?
I went to junior college for like a minute, and then went on and did some bad things with my life. Fortunately, I cleaned my act up and started working full time when I turned 21, launched my first business when I turned 28 and have been self-employed ever since! I did go back to Miramar college in 2008, transferred to SDSU in 2009 and even joined a fraternity (ok, it was a business fraternity, but it was still Greek life)!
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Are you a MMHS Marauder Alumni?
Are you a Mira Mesa High School alumnus, but not yet a member of the official MMHS Alumni Association? If so, what are you waiting for?? The MMHS Alumni Association is a 501(c)(3) that’s committed to fanning the Marauder flame in ALL MMHS alumnis, young and old! We hold four annual events, award scholarships, and support current MMHS faculty, student and team endeavors through a variety of grants! Join today, get your exclusive swag, and help support your alma mater! GO MARAUDERS!
