Hilltop Happenings

Learn More About Salisbury Gentleman Jared Zissu '12 And How He Discovered A Passion That He Turned Into A Career And Life Journey 

I grew up in Bernardsville, NJ and transferred to Salisbury for my junior year of high school. The change to Salisbury allowed me to concentrate on my academics, and be in a more structured environment, it also gave me the time to concentrate on athletics, soccer being the sport at the time. I was extremely intimidated being at Salisbury, especially since I entered so late into high school. To be honest, I didn’t want to be there, but I stuck with it, and made some really close friends which made things better. The more time I spent at Salisbury the better the experience became, and it really helped shape me as a gentleman, student, and leader. 

After graduating Salisbury in 2012, I headed to Sewanee, the University of the South. I went to play soccer and followed in Salisbury alumni footsteps Hurst Renner '09, who I met while visiting. Hurst told me I had to go to Sewanee, as it changed his life. At Sewanee I joined a volunteer fire department and started fly fishing, I majored in Natural Resources and had the best time of my life.

Salisbury, number one, taught me how to be a gentleman. Everything from being cleanly shaven to wearing a belt and socks, to holding the door for people. That definitely had a big impact on me. In addition, Salisbury helped me become more independent, as a student, as an athlete, and as a friend. Living in a dorm on your own forces you to master time management, that was something that really helped me at Sewanee. I think Salisbury also helped me with communication. The teachers force you out of your comfort zone, and that is a good thing when it comes to public speaking. I still remember having to recite Canterbury tales in Procter Smith’s English class.

I had a few teachers who impacted me at Salisbury. I think we probably had a love-hate relationship since I did seem to get in trouble a decent amount! But, my advisor, Mr. Russel, was a huge help with me growing as a student and an athlete at School. Xander Jones and Tote Smith were also a huge help. I think I learned more in Tote Smith’s AP Econ course than I have ever learned in a single class. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I have been back on campus and I would love to visit. The athletic center, the boathouse, and some of my old dorm rooms would bring back a lot of memories.

Today, I started and run a fly fishing media company called Flylords. Flylords reaches millions of users a year inspiring them to learn more about the sport of fly fishing. We create content for some big outdoor brands like Yeti, Patagonia, and Costa Sunglasses, and we also travel all over the place creating content for Lodges in remote places like the Seychelles and Bolivia.

My advice to current students is to keep your focus on graduating and getting into the best possible college you can. This means keeping your grades up, listening to your teachers, and trying to create a close relationship with a few where you can share all your thoughts with. Find what you are passionate about, and work really hard to turn that into a living. Don’t get discouraged about failing, or facing a challenge, these are the building blocks to who you will become in the future.