MARYSVILLE — Joseph Ecolango has decided that one day, he’ll be a businessman.
First he has to finish high school.
Ecolango, 17, grew up in Everett and about a year ago moved to Marysville. Before, he attended Mariner High School and now is a senior at Marysville Getchell High School.
He’s a leader of multiple school clubs, including Future Business Leaders of America and Navy Junior ROTC.
Question: What do you plan to do after high school?
Answer: I hope to go to Central Washington University for an education in business management and administration.
I actually intended on going into the Navy as an officer, but this summer a group and I, the Future Business Leaders of America, it’s a chapter here at school, went to San Antonio, Texas, to compete in the national leadership conference for FBLA. During that conference I was shown a different career path.
Business has a lot of different broad aspects to it — there’s a money side, a numbers side, there’s a way to present yourself to people, too.
Q: Why did you want to join the military?
A: I’ve had family that’s in the military, and I felt a call to serve my country.
I’m actually in NJROTC, which taught me a lot about the Navy of course, but also about employability, discipline and respect for yourself, and your peers, too. I still consider the Navy a second career path, but I think business is much more tailored to me.
Q: How long have you been in NJROTC?
A: Ever since I moved to Marysville, so it’s only been about a year since I’ve been in NJROTC, but it’s affected me a lot.
Q: Are you involved with any other clubs or activities?
A: I volunteer at the food bank whenever I get a chance to, academics and employment might get in the way, but I always try to donate my time to them.
Back at Mariner, my freshman year I did men’s swimming, and I also did band for two years. I got a lot of music education and fine arts appreciation.
Q: What was it like to move during high school?
A: I consider myself to be an adaptable person, so the move from Everett to Marysville, there were some difficulties, but I definitely got over them.
I felt very welcomed by the community here. You would think when you move, you would have to readjust yourself so much, but the teachers, the faculty and the students here, all were very welcoming.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I consider myself a very studious person, so I enjoy studying. I also like listening to history and psychology lectures online.
Q: What kind of history?
A: One of my favorite eras is the Napoleonic Wars. It was a very different time from now. All the uniforms and the different courtesies, you think about it and it links up to now. Those primitive traditions have evolved and you can see them in day-to-day life.
Q: Any other interests?
A:I’ve always been a language person. Back at Mariner I took two years of Japanese.
I’ve dabbled a little bit in French, Russian, German.
Q: Are you fluent in anything other than English?
A: I would say I’m intermediate in Japanese, and maybe beginner, intermediate in Tagalog, which is my mother and father’s native language.
Q: Proudest achievements?
A: My leadership positions in the school. I’m involved in a lot of leadership activities.
For one, I am the S-Club president. It’s the service club. I hold meetings and direct where the club is going in regards to community service.
I’m also the recruiting officer for NJROTC, so I think a lot about outreach and how the unit speaks to people and how we can try to find the right people for the unit.
And for FBLA, we have an event here at Marysville Getchell called the winter and spring bazaar, and I’m one of the coordinators.
I wouldn’t exactly call these achievements, but I’m proud I’ve been given the honor to lead.
Q: What is a favorite high school memory so far?
A: At Mariner, I certainly enjoyed my time with the band. Mr. Christopher Angelos, he was a very good band teacher. He taught me to appreciate fine art and music, which is a very big influence for me today.
Q: What did you play?
A: Freshman and sophomore year I played a combination of French horn and euphonium.
Q: Why didn’t you join band in Marysville?
A: I thought about my best interests and I knew that music was not in my future in terms of a career. I thought it was best that I try to gear myself toward my career.
Q: What’s your dream job?
A: It’s a bit stressful, but I’d like to be aligned with top executives.
Q: In what industry?
A: I haven’t decided on that yet, so it’s something to be thought about in the future.
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
