Meet Jerome. Jerome was one of the 1% in the area who were able to go to college. Jerome graduated in Human Resources and with no jobs in his hometown, he took a job in Singapore. When his mother became seriously ill, he had to return home. Jerome could not bear the thought of not being with his family in this challenging time again. A few years earlier, Jerome was in an internship in a distant place his family did not tell him that his grandmother passed away when he was gone. When he returned home, even bringing gifts for her, he was beyond heartbroken and said “I was traumatized before because . . . they didn’t tell me.”
Jerone wanted to be there to care for his family and provide for them as his mom was sick and to make up for lost time, so he made the decision to stay for good in the Philippines. Even still, he knew that it would be a large transition and he shared, “I wondered if I could adapt to this kind of environment.” He had become bored with his business jobs in Singapore and even thought about opening a new business in the Philippines to have a fresh start. A friend let him know about an opening at Dignity, and Jerone said “ when I learned about Dignity's mission and how it was about more than just business but also helping the community, I was drawn to it.” The culture was refreshing to him and he adjusted quickly to his new workplace.
Jerone quickly moved into leadership with HR and formed deep connections with the employees. He began to see how parts of the business culture in Singapore were a “toxic environment” filled with impatience and yelling and vowed to be a different leader than he had. Jerome leads by listening to others, being kind and respectful, and hopes to “leave a lasting legacy at Dignity.”
