AlumNow: Woodrow grad travels the world and runs own web design agency

Woodrow Wilson High School grad Joe Allen runs Jumprope Web Design, a boutique web design and development agency.

When he isn't busy coding, designing and managing clients, Allen loves to travel the world. He just returned from a year in Ecuador where he designed and developed a flash card application called Flash-Vue to help people learn a variety of subjects.

The Hub caught up with Allen, who also attended George Bannerman Dealey Montessori, as part of the ongoing AlumNow series.

What was your favorite subject/activity/involvement in high school?
I would have to say that Biology class my senior year was my favorite subject. The teacher was interesting, my classmates were hilarious and it was a nice break between Calculus and English Lit.

Who was your favorite teacher?
Coach Washington was always easy to talk to and, when things got serious, you knew he meant business.

What lesson did you learn in high school or beyond that has served you well through the years?
High school helped me understand and learn more about the importance of being nice to everyone. This has helped immensely. I have seen later in life that being decent and friendly to everyone is less stressful and much healthier than being rude and uncaring.

What advice, if any, would you offer to high school students today?
Challenge yourself as much as possible, but take adequate time to relax. Also, social media is not too important.

What is your top career or personal highlight/accomplishment since graduating from high school?
I have done a lot of traveling, which I am very grateful for. I recently lived in Ecuador and designed/developed a web application for studying. It is essentially a flash card application that helped me learn Spanish. It can be found at https://flash-vue.com. I am proud of the work I put in and what I learned while building it.

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