It’s great to know that a lot of people like young actor Jericho Rosales who still believe that poverty is never an obstacle that hinders a person in maximizing his full potential but rather a challenge that can be defeated with the right blend of hard work, determination, and faith in God.

Year 2009 marks Jericho Rosales’ 12th year in show business as a thriving young actor who is dedicated to his craft. Beyond their ability to entertain, artists possess the innate ability to utilize their fame and influence to affect and inspire positive change to the world around them. With a sensational career that spans over a decade, encompassing the lowest of the lows and the highest of the highs, Jericho – who used to work as a fish vendor, busboy, dishwasher, and crew in a pizza joint prior to his showbiz career – unwittingly, epitomized the noble cause of hope especially to his loyal fans who supported him throughout his career.

“There is hope. There will always be hope. Hope is actually in the air that we breathe everyday… we just need to see and accept it to make our dreams come true,” says Jericho.

Hope and hard work are two noble concepts that encapsulates Jericho’s prodigious career.

Born Jericho Vibar Rosales in September 22, 1979 in Quezon City, Echo went to New Era High School and was later on discovered on “Eat Bulaga’s” popular “Mr. Pogi” competition. Echo gradually rose to mainstream popularity as a homegrown talent of ABS-CBN. He was primarily positioned as a film and television actor. Jericho rapidly established a respectable reputation with a string of blockbuster movies and top-rating soap operas to his credit. Jericho also honed his hosting skills on TV via the award-winning afternoon variety show “ASAP” (now “ASAP ’09”). Recently, Jericho reunited with music, one of his first loves, by developing his prowess as a singer, musician, and songwriter.

Today, Jericho remains on the top of his game with Manila Genesis Entertainment and Management Inc. as his new management company. He is gearing up with an exciting lineup of projects which includes an upcoming soap on ABS-CBN, a full-length film with Star Cinema, and his debut, full-length solo album under Star Records.

His cumulative achievements and increasing body work, however, are not by-products of some serendipitous event that happened in his life. On the contrary, everything that Jericho has right now is a result of many years of hard work, determination, and faith in God. Prior to his successful stint in the “Mr. Pogi” contest, not a lot of people are aware about Jericho’s past.

Like a lot of young people of his generation, Jericho believes in his dreams. As a fish vendor in Marikina’s Concepcion Market, Jericho realized that he is good in selling stuff. “I did very well when I used to sell fish. I realized that I have the skill and the ability to sell things. In my struggles to be an artist, it has always been an aspiration of mine to sell the idea of how hard work, determination, faith in oneself, and most especially faith in God can change one’s life,” explains Jericho.

Poverty may be a powerful opponent that could potentially hinder Jericho from reaching his dreams but the young actor proved otherwise.

“Success is very subjective. Success for one person could mean the opposite to another. For me success is always the result of hard work. If it could inspire just one person to dream and do the right thing, then I will consider myself as successful. Aside from using my craft to inspire other people, my dream is to provide a good life for my family. I am at my happiest every time I see my family happy,” says Jericho.

At the center of everything is Jericho’s faith in God. Although he admits that the road to success is filled with extreme hardships, Jericho steadfastly believes that his constant efforts to strengthen his faith made him surpass the myriad of excruciating challenges that he faced to get to where he is right now.

Today, as he celebrates his 12th anniversary in showbiz, Jericho’s fervent prayer is to continuously be an inspiration to others. “I am very content and thankful with what I have right now. In the future, I would like to explore other things such as directing, producing films, and writing more songs. But in totality, I just want everything to be consistent with my goals and dreams.”

How can a simple fish vendor reach the exhilarating peak of success and be able to maintain a humble outlook in life, some may wonder. The answer is quite simple: One must always believe in the possibility of great dreams and hope that every ingredient that leads towards success is maximized by a person with the help of God.

Jericho Rosales is a shinning beacon of hope who reminds us that poverty can be swallowed up in the victory of hard work.