Fernando (Jorom) Paler

Hey, MIST 5720! My name is Jorom Paler, and I am a fourth-year Management Information Systems major. I will be graduating this Spring with an emphasis in Data Analytics and will work full-time with EY in Atlanta as a Technology Risk Consultant. I also interned with EY last summer in the same department and look forward to seeing some familiar faces when I start in the summer.

I was born in Surigao City, Philippines, and moved to Savannah, GA at 6 years old. I remember having to learn English in a fairly short timeframe, but when your mother is also an educator, anything can happen. Let’s just say the lessons were very effective. 

My decision to come to UGA came as no surprise to me or my family. They knew I spent most of my life in the United States already so going back to school at my family’s alma mater in the Philippines was not an option. My other options were primarily on the West Coast and I did not really see myself fitting in there also. 

Since coming to UGA, I continue to find a sense of community everywhere I turn. A big part of my identity is the culture of the Philippines. As a first-year, it was great to see a campus offer a student organization that focused on Filipino students and their culture. I am active in the student organization and always love sharing a part of my culture with students that are willing to learn or try something out for themselves. My favorite time of the year is when all of the student organizations under UGA’s International Student Life host their cultural showcase at Tate Grand Hall. They host events that highlight all the amazing things that make each culture so unique such as dances, traditional food, and other performances. No matter which organization is hosting those showcases, they are always a lot of fun.

I am very passionate about traveling. Before my internship last summer, I studied abroad in Greece for 3 weeks. I traveled with the Family and Consumers Sciences department to study the effects of the energy crisis on Greece’s economy. During those three weeks, we stayed in Athens where we sat for lectures at the Athens University of Economics and Business. We flew to Santorini for a tour of Akrotiri and ended our trip to Thessaloniki. 

After my study abroad ended, I was left with a couple of weeks until I needed to be back in the States for my internship- so what does one do with this free time? The answer is simple- turn to your buddy and ask him to take a side trip to Rome with you for a few days. After the class term ended, we went to a vineyard in Epanomi and learned how the wine in this specific region of Greece is made. There is a specific grape variety called Malagousia that virtually went extinct until they rediscovered it growing near the base of Mount Olympus. (If you ever come across a bottle of Malagousia wine, buy it, it is worth it.)

Here’s a fun fact about me….

I am a trained sushi chef. Back in high school, I worked in the service industry as a server and hated every minute of it. But I realized that I loved being creative and experimenting with ingredients and preparation techniques. So I moved to the kitchen and really found something I was passionate about. I trained under chefs with professional experience in sushi and began formulating menu items at 20 years old. At that time, I was leading a team of chefs for service during my summers away from UGA. 

I definitely see myself opening my own sushi restaurant in a few years. Hopefully, we stay in touch so you can see my restaurant for yourself. 

I hope you learned a little bit more about me after this post, and I look forward to working with and getting to know all of you this semester!