It’s truly incredible the caliber of people you meet when you open yourself up to the possibility of change. I know the entire last post was about moving to the Bay, so now let’s talk about the fruits of that endeavor. The one that sticks out as supremely significant, other than securing the bag lol, is that I have now effectively broadened my network to include some of the most innovative minds in the world; which makes it more than appropriate for me to start this year in features with the one and only Jay Hammonds!
A bay native, born and raised in Oakland, CA. Jay currently works on the Executive Support Engineering Team at Facebook, his team is responsible for IT Support & Project Management for Facebook Executives. His primary objective is to ensure the executives are efficient and effective from a technical standpoint while providing
creative technical solutions. Prior, he led IT for the Instagram team for 5 years, in total he has been at Facebook for almost 9 years which is wild because he is only 27 His commitment to facebook is aligned with his personal values of loyalty and innovation which serve as a bit of a prelude to the next chapter, but before we dive any deeper let’s get a bit more context…
We always aim to highlight individuals who are driving an impact in their communities and/or making strides toward cultivating a vision of their own. In this instance, we were lucky enough to find someone doing both. In 2012, Jay helped create the Year Up @ Facebook program which has helped bring in nearly 350 diverse interns. This is a huge feat because the pipeline for people of diverse backgrounds acquiring degrees that neatly fit into the tech space has historically been limited. Year Up is a non-profit organization focused on helping young adults build skills in Tech, Cyber Security, Project Management and other areas, “A life-changing experience for me”.
In the community, Jay serves as an advisor, board member, mentor, and consultant for a multitude of Bay area and national community organizations. His focus is on bridging the gap between tech and underrepresented youth while also helping building tech curriculums for inner-city students landed him on 60 Minutes and the 2018 Class for Forbes 30 Under 30 in the field of Enterprise: Technology.
With all of these accomplishments its only right that we do an interview:
Q: So I have a bit of context here, but I do want to share it with the people. We play ball together, and you’re nice, but I’m wondering how far did you go with playing and what were some of the biggest lessons you took off of the court?
A: I am okay, there was a time though… I did have a small stint in college where I got some really good courtside seats from the bench. I learned a ton though! Teamwork is easily the biggest lesson from playing ball, as well as staying ready for your opportunity to shine. Lastly, always have a commitment to getting better in everything you do. If you have a high level of commitment, discipline, and grit, nothing will stop you, just a matter of time until you get what you want.
Q: Did playing ball contribute to you wanting to invest heavily back into underprivileged youth?
A: I don’t think so, I believe it’s always been something in me. Playing ball was something I did because I wanted to use it to get to College and I loved to hoop.
Q: What exactly does your investment in youth look like?
A: My biggest investment is going to be my time and advocacy, I am always willing to do my part and mentor, teach or speak with young adults. I will open up my Rolodex for anyone who shows that want to be successful and is willing to put in the work. I try to do anything in my power to give people the resources to go for what they want. This is time-consuming but so necessary as it creates a ripple effect in our communities and more and more young adults are lifted up.
Q: Time management is a huge obstacle for a lot of millennials in pursuing their dreams…. can you speak to your philosophy on the subject?
A: Ruthless prioritization, understanding what fulfillment looks like to you and ensuring your discipline each day to take action in each of your life buckets. For me, those are, Business, Personal, Spiritual and Altruistic. Every day, I need to take care of items in each area to feel fulfilled.
Q: So 30 under 30… that’s a huge accomplishment, what does it mean to you?
A: I recall when the 30 under 30 list was first created, I dreamed of being on in and somehow manifested it. Honestly, it’s cool but I hope people are just inspired to go out and do great things. I don’t care too much about the acknowledgment, I measure success by the people I can help. However, given the Forbes platform, I want to use it to help more and more people who look like me.
Q: Any highlights/plans you wanna shine a light on for the next decade or should we just wait and see?
A: My best move is my next move, stay tuned.
Q: If there was one person you could meet today that could/would potentially change the course of the next 10years for you who would that be and why?
A: Maverick Carter – As someone who loves sports and business and hopes to one day work in the field, I see no better person to learn from other than William Wesley (who would be my next pick). If I had the opportunity, I would try to soak up as much knowledge as possible from him. Also, one thing I learned about connecting is at the end of a meeting to ask the person you’re connecting with “Who do you think I should meet?” thus, extending your network and possibly meeting another person whom you can learn from.
Q: Our moniker is “Work 9-5, live 5-9”; do you have a moniker of your own?
A: A positive ripple effect can change the world!
Overall its an honor and a privilege to be in the presence of greatness and I’m pleased to have you as an addition to the illustrious list of features that are Wkenders. Thanks for taking the time to chat and I know that there is nothing less than greatness in your future.
To a Life Worth Living,
The Wkender