The Last Chapter Mindset: One Veteran's Guide to a Life Well-Lived

Jesse Tobey ’21 (MBA) lives with a “last chapter” motto, driving his life with a clear end goal: being financially secure, healthy, loved, and finally — able to “surf, dive, ski, spearfish, hunt, whatever I want, whenever I want, with who I want, for as long as I want. That's how I define success.”

Jesse’s philosophy propels him, knowing that the journey will be turbulent but the end goal is bright and clear, lighting his way forward. “It makes it really easy to stay focused and ignore the small things when I know what the last chapter is going to look like,” Jesse said. It was this belief that led him to the military, to the Knauss MBA program and to his current role at JP Morgan. 

Just Keep Swimming 

Jesse grew up in Juno Beach, Florida, a sleepy town just north of West Palm Beach, spending his free time where he loved — in the water.  Working hard throughout high school and his undergraduate degree at Florida Atlantic University, Jesse took a job as the head lifeguard at a country club pool and started his own small business in the maritime industry, diving under boats to work on the hull. It was through these two jobs that Jesse was introduced to the Navy and envisioned a path to building a secure future for himself. 

Twice every summer Navy recruiters came to the pool to do physical fitness tests where Jesse learned all about special warfare operations in the Navy, otherwise known as the SEALs. It didn’t take much to convince him to dive in, so the year after graduating college Jesse applied to be a SEAL officer. He flew to San Diego for the very first time for mini-BUDS, a two week long officer interview and he fell in love with the city.

Although he wound up not getting selected for the SEALs, he scored well on the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB) and left immediately for flight school in Newport, Rhode Island to become a pilot. After his three and a half years at flight school, just two flights away from earning his wings, Jesse couldn’t shake the feeling that flying still wasn’t right for him. He ended up in a role that fit well with his undergraduate degree in business, as a Lieutenant in the Supply Corp. 

“It's essentially the business side of the military,” Jesse explained. “It focused on balancing the budget and keeping track of inventory. I loved it.” Switching to this role solidified his long-term focus, shifting his gear from chasing excitement to finding a stable career that would set his future family up for success.

The Final Puzzle Piece

Jesse moved to San Diego to pursue his master’s in business administration (MBA) at the University of San Diego while continuing to work in the Navy. It was here at Knauss where Jesse developed not only his skillsets like finance, operations and relationship management, but also a network to assist him along the way. 

Working for the Military Supply Port here in San Diego, Jesse increasingly found ways to connect his line of work with what he was learning in class. “It was such a great pairing, finishing my time in the military with business school. What we were chatting about in Simon Croom's supply chain class, went hand in hand with what I was doing day in and day out with the Navy.”

As the program progressed, Jesse began to trust and lean on his peers the same way he would his brothers in arms. “A very good friend of mine who I met through my cohort, and found out was a colleague in the Navy, recommended me for the JP Morgan Military Pathways program,” said Jesse. “I don't know that I would have found the opportunity without my cohort.” 

That program combined with the Knauss MBA couldn’t have set him up better. As graduation drew near, things quickly fell into place exactly how he had envisioned: within a one-month period, he graduated with his MBA, left the Navy and started at JP Morgan. Just a few months after that, he met his now wife. 

In his current role as an Associate in the Commercial and Investment Bank division at JP Morgan, managing thousands of contracts down the coast of California, Jesse frequently draws on his studies at USD. “I still have a stack of pamphlets that Craig Barkacs gave out. I go back to look at those periodically. The negotiation training in his class, finding a way both sides can win, was amazing.” Jesse’s specific role being within business development, asking middle-emerging companies to trust JP Morgan with their banking and financial needs where strong relationships are absolutely necessary to having success. 

 Racing To The Finish Line

Through business school, marriage and now raising a toddler, Jesse’s drive hasn’t ceased. This year he was reminded of his determination to be healthy 50 years down the road and focused on how he could make that happen in his busy schedule. 

“I went about it with the mindset of making small changes every few months, rather than trying to make many massive changes at the same time,” Jesse explained. The result? “I feel like a million bucks. Leaning into health and wellness made me more productive at work, with family and socially.” This led Jesse to his most recent endeavor towards health — running a triathlon with just two weeks of prep time. 

“It had been about 10 years since I did a race and on a whim I saw the Pacific Coast Highway triathlon, so I signed up for it,” said Jesse. This continuous pursuit of success through discipline, a lesson instilled by his father, keeps him moving forward, “putting one foot in front of the other,” knowing that the last chapter is always in sight.

-Jess Applonie