Born and raised in New York City, Jairo Obando didn’t have the opportunity to be outdoors often as a child. However, his father instilled in him a deep love and respect for nature with simple, once-annual, summertime backpacking trips to upstate New York. These trips left a lasting impact on him, and after three years in the U.S. Army, he decided to pursue a life outdoors through his favorite medium: photography and filmmaking.
This spring, as he finishes his degree in advertising and PR at City College of New York, he’ll dive deeper into the creative world via advertising portfolio school. His tuition to Denver Ad School (DAD) will be paid by Vladimir Jones via the Jim + Nechie Hall Scholarship.
We established the scholarship in 2020 because we want people from any background to enter this industry and thrive. We don’t want debt, fear of not fitting in, or lack of industry experience to hold anyone back from considering or pursuing a career in advertising.
By paying Jairo’s way to advertising portfolio school, we’re helping him to write the next chapter in this story. He is a young man with gumption and drive, and we are eager to watch his next steps. Check out his early work here.
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