Jacky So

How a “Gap Quarter” Positioned Jacky to Make a Difference in the Fight Against COVID-19

The last time we spoke to Jacky So, she was taking a break from work (a “gap quarter”) to re-evaluate her career and position herself to be happier in her next opportunity. Our original interview was before the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, but at time of publication in May of last year, her gap-quarter was a position many found themselves in. Jacky’s message was to encourage others to not only pursue their true passions, but also to take advantage of the planned (or sometimes unplanned) opportunity to rest and rejuvenate.

As a self-proclaimed “recovering workaholic,” Jacky’s pause from work combined with a global pandemic gave her an opportunity to untangle her identity. She realized she is valuable because of who she is, not the work she produces or the job she is attached to. She finally feels comfortable being present, rather than focused on a never-ending to-do list. 

Jacky’s passion project Data With Style, LLC was going well when her former colleague presented her with a unique opportunity. He was part of a group of volunteers that came together to fill the gap in COVID-19 testing in Northern California, which quickly snowballed into a new company. The startup, Primary.Health, provided Jacky with an opportunity to utilize her favorite data skills but also take on a front-facing, client-interaction role. In this role, she became the bridge between engineers and clients, a perfect match for Jacky’s talents.

Primary.Health is a lab-agnostic web platform that provides government, commercial, and private organizations the ability to quickly register participants, schedule appointments, arrange for easy onsite check-in and check-out, and exchange data between labs and state databases. The scope of the business is constantly evolving as the pandemic landscape changes, allowing for a fast-paced environment that creates new challenges every day. Jacky says she feels “like I’m doing something impactful and actually bringing goodness to the world.”

The pandemic has been hard on many physically, mentally, and spiritually. Forever the optimist, Jacky thinks the positive thing is it has given us a chance to be future-oriented. As life slows down and uncertainty creeps in, the pandemic provides time to force a check-in with yourself. What is working, and what needs to be redesigned? This is the perfect time to re-evaluate needs and relationships to decide: Who do you want on your zombie apocalypse team?

If you’re looking for an opportunity to be a part of something making a difference in the world, Jacky would love for you to join her team. From Account Managers to Ruby on Rails engineers, anyone interested can email jackyso@primary.health.