| by Admin on June 22nd, 2025 | Comments Off | Featured
Jason’s Bio
Jason was welcomed into this world in October of 1974 in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania by his parents and older brother of 3 years. He spent all his childhood years growing up in his hometown of Maple Shade, New Jersey. After graduating high school in 1993, Jason headed off to Elon College in North Carolina.
After graduation from college with a B.A. in Economics Jason soon gained employment with a regional bank in North Carolina, First Citizens Bank & Trust. Along with his college roommate he moved to Raleigh to enjoy what the small city had to offer in contrast to suburbia. After two years, Jason returned home to New Jersey, reuniting with family and friends again from Maple Shade. After several years of searching for a job that interested him, he was hired by Mercedes-Benz USA LLC in Montvale, New Jersey as a reporting and analytics specialist. Mercedes-Benz was the most influential employment in shaping his career, leadership skills and understanding of the corporate world. Jason is always appreciative of the mentors, colleagues and friends he worked alongside during those 6 years there. After leaving Mercedes-Benz, he accepted a job with Mercer in Hoboken, New Jersey. At the time, and prior to this trip, Jason was living in Hoboken, the home of baseball and Frank Sinatra. Hoboken is a town that he will miss tremendously with its incredible views of Manhattan, easy access to New York City, many bars and restaurants, and small town design.
Jason’s passions have evolved over the years even though he is reconnecting with the same passions he once had as a kid. Since college he has focused much time accelerating his career and financial goals. Now, he looks towards experiencing new environments and unfamiliar cultures in the great outdoors while improving his knowledge of web design, video creation and editing, and foreign languages. We are excited to follow Jason’s journey as he brings his travel adventures to us through the use of technology.
Aracely’s Bio
Living on the edge
Aracely was born in the small town of Chone, Ecuador (in the province of Manabi) where she lived with her father and paternal grandparents until the age of seven. On Friday, February 24, 1989 Aracely, her sister (Priscilla) and mother (Ramona) immigrated to the United States. Ramona and her young daughters left everything they’ve ever known behind in search for a new life and a better future.
The trio arrived at J.F Kennedy Airport in New York City where they were greeted by her maternal grandmother, her aunt and uncles who had been living in the states for several years now. The entire family lived in a modest home in Dover, New Jersey.
Aracely moved around a lot as a child and attended various different schools during her primary education. She graduated high school from Warren Hills Regional H.S. in Washington, NJ. Upon graduation she went on to obtain her A.A. at County College of Morris and then pursued her Bachelor’s in International Studies from Ramapo College of New Jersey. Immediately after completing her B.A she continued her studies and graduated with a Master’s in International Affairs from New School University in New York City.
A few months before completing her B.A. at Ramapo College she obtained an internship position at Mercedes-Benz USA LLC (corporate headquarters, located in Montvale, NJ.) She went on to work full-time at MB for 4.5 years where she held multiple positions in both a marketing and finance capacity. It was during this time that Aracely was groomed into a young professional and learned the valuable lessons that corporate America has to offer. She currently works at American Express as a Finance Manager within the Strategy and Planning group and leads a team of analysts in the Global Advisory Services team within Global Business Travel.
Aracely’s true passions include cultural studies, travel, working with youth, writing, photography, salsa dancing, and her younger brother Alex.
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Twobackpackers.com documents the experiences of Jason Castellani and Aracely Santos as they travel the world in a journey of discovery. This is not the typical gap year of backpacking after a recent college graduation. This is the journey of a couple that finished college years ago and have since spent most of their time and efforts becoming successful corporate professionals. However, for us, a successful career is only a small part of our personal satisfaction; it does not define us as individuals. Jason and Aracely both find greater joy being outdoors, learning about the world, and lending a helping hand. We embark on this journey to follow true passion and also contribute to create a better world.
