Cast Spotlight: Jessica DiSalvo

My name is Jessica DiSalvo, and I am so Rochester that I have visited more than one Wegmans in the same day. As a single mother of three intense daughters, I acquired a degree in Recreation Management in order to more effectively boss them around.

While that is my primary source of entertainment, I am also passionate about the following- ForwardSwim, my business offering providing swim lessons, which provides me with indescribable joy and purpose; bartending at Solera on the weekends; and a carefully cultivated addiction to buying office supplies on Amazon at 3 am. What do you love about Rochester? I love that Rochester is my home. Having lived in far away places and having friends who had nowhere to call home showed me how uniquely fortunate I am to have access to mine. The world is a crazy place, and the familiar can be a blessing and an anchor.

What piece of writing has moved or inspired you? In a seventh grade creative writing class at School of The Arts, Mr. Craddock passed out a poem to us that I have been searching for ever since. There was imagery of streetlamps as moths, and something about the front stoop or porch steps of houses, and if you know it, please tell me.

What is one of your favorite parenting moments, as a parent or as a daughter/son? Eleven years ago, when I was two months pregnant with my first daughter, I saw a baby with long fingernails that had black dirt underneath. I judged swiftly, harshly, and totally, and knew in my heart of hearts that I would never be so negligent. One year later, my daughter grabbed at my face and drew blood with her grungy baby claws. The moment was an incredibly powerful coming of age for me, and I like to think that I have refrained from passing judgement on the lives of others since.