Jay Rayford
Social Sushi
Detroit, MI USA
"One of the benefits of college is being exposed to different people from all walks of life and being able to take that perspective and do anything with it. Your network is your net worth."
Career Roadmap
Jay's work combines: Entrepreneurship, Business, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Detroit is my home and it's where everyone I love is and I refused to believe this. I knew I could do something to help other people realize Detroit's potential.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Vocational
Automotive Engineering Technology/Technician
Macomb Community College
Associate's Degree
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Wayne County Community College District
Vocational
International Business/Trade/Commerce
Davenport University
Bachelor's Degree
Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management, General
Full Sail University
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Marketing Managers:
High School
Bachelor's Degree: Business Administration and Management, General
Graduate Degree: Business Administration and Management, General
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Born and raised in Detroit, MI.
2.
Admits he only started taking school seriously in high school mainly because he wanted to get out of his house and away from the negativity of his neighborhood.
3.
While in high school, he took community college and vocational classes completing coursework in in both electrical engineering and automotive design.
4.
Was involved with FIRST Robotics, an international robotics competition that gives students real-world engineering experience—says this introduced him to teamwork and building ideas.
5.
Interned at General Motors during his junior and senior year of high school—after graduation, he began working in various technical roles in the automotive industry, but kept getting laid off.
6.
Decided to switch his career path slightly and started pursuing electrical engineering—this enabled him to leave Detroit for the first time and live in Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania.
7.
Discovered the negative perceptions many people had of Detroit and decided to do something to change that—moved back to Detroit and began pursuing local community development initiatives.
8.
Says he found his niche was in connecting and bringing people together—co-founded Social Sushi, a sustainable sushi catering and events company designed to bring together diverse Detroit locals.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
Detroit is dead. Don't go back because there aren't any opportunities.
How I responded:
Detroit is my home and it's where everyone I love is and I refused to believe this. I knew I could do something to help other people realize Detroit's potential.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I grew up in a rough area of Detroit that dealt with a lot of gang violence. I used school as my escape and a way to avoid that.
When I was working in the automotive industry, I kept getting laid off because the industry was struggling. Even though I enjoyed the work, I had to switch careers because I couldn't rely on it.
I'm the first in my family to go to college. Neither of my parents graduated from high school. I wanted to set an example.