The achiever in Jodi Sta. Maria
Striking a balance between work and studies is no piece of cake, but Jodi Sta. Maria has been doing it with flying colors.
On top of her acting projects, this 36-year-old Psychology student at Southville International School and Colleges is a consistent Dean’s Lister. She finished the first semester of the 2018 academic year with a GPA of 3.818.
In an interview, Jodi acknowledged it’s challenging, especially as she also takes care her 13-year-old son, Thirdy.
“It’s not really easy but I thank God for giving me the strength to do it all,” she said. “I’m also grateful to management for blocking off my Tuesdays for school. The rest of the week is for family, work and other personal ventures.”
Why did she choose to take up Psychology, we asked.
Saying that a lot people now have depression, Jodi said she wants to do her share in helping them.
“I want to serve them. I want to use the things that I learned from school in a good way. I want to help broken people cope with their condition,” she shared.
She applies the same lessons to herself.
“Being a Psychology student makes you understand yourself better,” she said. “Also, it will help you be compassionate and less judgmental of other people.”
The actress has been open about her dream of becoming a doctor and she still holds on to it.
“The desire is still there. Right now, my focus is to finish my undergraduate degree. Will I go straight to med school after this? I’ll cross the bridge when I get there.”
Happy life
With her story of forgiveness and moving on, Jodi has inspired and motivated millions of netizens with her daily life tips posted on social media.
According to her, she doesn’t have any reason to be pessimistic, saying God has blessed her life with so much love and opportunities.
It also helps she meets different kinds of people every time she travels.
“With all the blessings coming my way, I guess I have no reason to complain. There’s so much gratitude in my heart. I feel the love of my family, my friends and the industry I am in,” she shared. Seemingly hinting about the current status of her heart after her breakup with Jolo Revilla, Jodi reiterated she is happy now.
“I’m contented with what I have.”
Scary film
Halloween is many months away, but Jodi is already bent on scaring viewers with her horror film, “Second Coming.” The two-years-in-the-making opus, directed by Jet Leyco, is about a stepmother who, after moving into the home of husband, gets haunted by spine-chilling episodes through her possessed stepdaughter.
Based on the trailer, there will be no shortage of fright and mystery in the film.
Jodi said so, too.
“This is going to be worth it. The story is beautiful, the execution is excellent. The audience will be scared of what will happen to the characters. The scenes are unexpected and it’s like you don’t have any choice but hold on your faith,” she shared.
Best known for being a drama actress, Jodi admitted doing horror film is a challenging task for her.
Actually, she’s no stranger to the genre, having done “Maria Leonora Teresa” in 2014.
“At some point, I felt like I was fish removed from water. It’s physically and emotionally taxing,” she shared.
What made her say yes to the project right away is that it meant working with director Jet and Marvin Agustin.
Apart from “Second Coming,” Jodi will star in another film under Blacksheep Production; and a teleserye with Dreamscape Entertainment.
Sort of reunion
Jodi has worked with Marvin before, but “Second Coming” is their biggest project together as lead actors.
Jodi related how she has matured as a person and as actress throughout the years.
“Jodi is a happy person, a lovable one. She’s an inspiration to everyone. I enjoyed working with her,” he said.
She, on other hand, shared: “I can’t really say Marvin and I were really close friends back then. But I’m aware about his humble beginnings and it’s amazing to see where he is now, not only as an actor but also as a businessman. You can see that he really values success.”
Produced by Reality Entertainment, the film also stars John Arcilla, Bing Loyzaga, Queneerich Rehman, and Angelica Ulip.
“Second Coming” opens in cinemas today.