“ I was extremely eager to get into that company ,” Lo explains . “ They were the innovators of the time , and to have that door opened and get connected with that network , it was amazing .” At Nokia , she became known as “ J-Lo the Intern ” and received mentorship from her fellow Triton , Romeo Dumpit , ’ 95 . He recalls , “ Most interns start off a bit timid in a new environment , but Jocelyn seemed to jump in with both feet . She was never one to be afraid to get involved with new things , make adjustments and grow .”
With that professional experience in engineering consumer products and a UC San Diego masterʼs degree earned shortly thereafter , “ J-Lo the Intern ” soon built an engineering career with the leading cellphone companies of the time , including Kyocera and Motorola . When Motorola laid off their entire San Diego office in 2012 , Lo found support from the network she had since built and landed a position working with now-partner Tim Wiley at Quartus , an engineering consulting company that would prove to be the seedbed for Lo ’ s entrepreneurial spirit .
“ I took every learning opportunity I could , especially the customer-facing elements , like being able to sit down with a client and explain how we will design this , how we accomplish that — those sorts of skills were invaluable in launching a business .”
Lo and Wiley saw potential for growth in the consumer products sector , a rather small part of Quartus that they decided to pursue on their own . “ Consumer product companies tend to grow very quickly ,” Lo says , “ and they need products made just as rapidly . That ’ s where we come in .”
With Wiley heading up sales and building a customer base , Lo oversaw production and execution of projects and often served as an on-site project manager . Named Latitude 32 for the parallel nearest San Diego , the company came in as a dark horse . “ It was a humble beginning ,” says Lo , “ but not as humble
“ I relish every chance I get to surprise others and defy
their expectations .”
— JOCELYN LO ’ 01 , MS ’ 02
as we thought it would be . We expected to start working from our garage , but we had a decent client base right off the bat and needed engineers and workspace just to get going .”
It didn ’ t take long before Lo oversaw the production of many products you may use every day , items like fitness trackers , gaming headphones and watchbands , as well as countless accessories for another Triton-established company , GoPro .
And with such growth , the Latitude 32 team has since grown as well , by adding Tritons such as Stacy Sluys , ’ 11 , the company ’ s operations manager , as well as Lo ’ s former mentor , Romeo Dumpit . “ She hasn ’ t changed a bit ,” he says . “ Jocelyn was always eager to learn and energetic , all the while smiling while executing her projects . It ’ s what I expect of every Triton , and a pleasure to be around again .”
With a solid team behind her , Lo is looking to expand Latitude 32 and open an office in China , to which she and her team often find themselves traveling several times a year . And here at home , Lo is also active in inspiring young women to enter engineering , a passion that has brought her back to Revelle College for programs put on by the San Diego chapter of the Society of Women Engineers .
“ It ’ s very rewarding to get girls thinking about opportunities for them in this industry ,” says Lo . “ When I was just starting out , others in meetings would assume that I was just the secretary or the translator . But I relish every chance I get to surprise others and defy their expectations .”
Have you started your own business ? Let us know at tritonmag @ ucsd . edu
TRITON CONNECTION
“ I consider myself lucky to work with other Tritons . It ’ s fun to share memories of a stressful finals week in Geisel , watching the sunset from the cliffs or enjoying a Sun God Festival . I find we often have a similar way of looking at the world too , and a high level of drive and ambition . I ’ m proud to work for a company founded by a Triton , especially one that values innovation and diversity the same way that UCSD does .”
Stacy Sluys , ’ 11
“ When I transferred to UCSD , I found my stride in both the educational structure and social life . You balance sleepless nights in the labs with cultural clubs , intramural sports or just finding friends to surf with down at the beaches . And now , having been an engineer for well-known global companies for over 20 years , and I am proud to say that I have known at least one Triton at each one .”
Romeo Dumpit , ’ 95
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