BACKGROUND

My name is Ashaad Mason. I grew up in the inner city and I have a passion to grow the Downtown Rochester area. I have a non-traditional background and took a different approach on how to build my career and educate myself.

I was raised by parents who lived the street life. At age 14 I made a decision to do good in life and desired to make a positive impact. A lot of what I know is self taught, spiritual insights and learning from others.

WORK HISTORY

At age 18 I graduated high school. I had been working at strong for almost 3 years. I took a leap of faith and shadowed some local business owners in the construction industry for 3 years.

During that time period, I failed at a business endeavor. It was a video game concept, which I losed out on a big investment at the time. My parents were good parents. They taught me strong will, resilience and hustle. I may have a "chip on my shoulder" but I'm a spiritual man on a mission.

I've been doing sales since November 2013. I haven't looked back. Without a degree I think this can be a stepping stone to remain marketable in the workplace.

EDUCATION

I graduated 3rd in my class from Rochester International Academy. Formerly known as Thomas Jefferson High School. My focus in high school was hospitality. We would do events as a class and our cookies would sell out like hot cakes :)

As a junior I was voted class president. The entire school viewed me as a young man with great potiential. I tutored class mates who didn't grow up in the United States on English and Math.

Since age 20 I've attended seminars, business conferences, networking events. I've educated myself by means of books, videos, webinars, podcasts, articles and blogs.