Jonathan Steve Trejo

Jonathan Trejo is a proud first-generation American of Salvadorian descent. Both of his parents were born in San Miguel, El Salvador. Although his father immigrated to America for the chance of a better life in the mid 70s, his mother didn’t have the means to leave until the middle of the country’s terrible civil war. Growing up in America as the only child between his parents (his mother had two boys and his father had a daughter from previous relationships) there was a tremendous pressure on him to succeed. Since coming to the States, Jonathan’s mother has been a house cleaner and his father jumped from various warehouse jobs to janitorial services for over 40 years until he retired.

Jonathan knows exactly what parts of his personality come from which parent. His mother, who grew up in a third world country working for people better off than herself, taught him to be humble, kind and respectful. His father instilled in him an impeccable work ethic and street smarts. His father only made it to the third grade in El Salvador because he had to leave school and help his father work the farm to support his family of 11. His most [in]famous quote is, “Aunque ni termine el tercer grado, nadie se ve pasar de mi!,”. which loosely translates to, “Even though I didn’t make it past third grade, I’ll be damned if anyone thinks they’ll get the better of me.” He worked 10-14 hour days, 6 days a week because he never wanted Jonathan to be envious of what others had. He showed Jonthan that, if he wanted something, he shouldn’t borrow or steal–that things in life are achieved by working hard and getting them yourself.

Jonathan knew from a young age that was different from the rest of the family, always feeling like the black sheep because of his interests in the arts and technology. In middle school, he met a teacher named Ms. Crow who was the first person to believe in and support his creativity, so much so that she personally enrolled him in her Art class as an elective all three years of middle school. He was first exposed to web and graphic design during his senior year of high school and it’s been his passion ever since. Upon graduation, Jonathan’s father demanded that he take a career as a Certified Public Account or a bank teller, because of his proficiency in math. This would become one of the biggest issues between Jonathan and his father for the next few years. Jonathan knew that he could follow either path, but he knew he wouldn’t be happy with his life. So his father said that he’d have to put himself through college, because he wouldn’t support his son in this endeavor. While attending Los Angeles Valley College, Jonathan took a basic HTML class and fell in love with web design. When he realized that it was a perfect union of his two passions, art and technology, he knew what career he was meant to pursue. He found an art school only 15 minutes away from his house, applied, got in and became the first person in his family to graduate from college.

Throughout the years, Jonathan has worn almost every hat that the service and design industry has to offer. He’s most passionate about helping “Mom & Pop” shops getting noticed on the web. He uses his empathy and storytelling skills to help others realize the true value of their ideas. If he’s not sitting at his computer coding or designing, he’s out off-roading in the various terrains of California with his girlfriend’s son or crew, “California Crawl Daddies.” His passion for off-roading is only rivaled by his passion for collecting Funko Pops. As a nerd, he has many fandoms, including but not limited to Marvel, DC, Star Wars and wrestling.

Jonathan will do everything in his power to come through for his friends, family and clients because he believes the human experience is something we all share and sometimes you need a hand or a laugh to help you get to the next moment.