One of the most fulfilling parts of working at Pearson Education was knowing that the work I created had a purpose. I wasn’t simply making illustrations and educational content. I was helping create something that students could use to learn, discover, and grow.
But I never realized how close to home that impact would come.
One day, when my daughter was in middle school, she was working on a computer assignment in class and reading a story. As she went through the lesson, she suddenly recognized something unexpected beneath one of the illustrations:
“Illustrated by Jake Yago.”
It was my name.
She couldn’t believe it. She immediately told her teacher and classmates, proud and excited that her dad had created the artwork they were using in class.
When I picked her up from school that day, she couldn’t wait to tell me what had happened.
I had no idea her school was even using the educational products we had worked on.
That moment stayed with me. Of all the illustrations I created for Pearson, one of them had somehow found its way into my daughter’s classroom. My professional work and my life as a father had crossed paths in the most unexpected way.
It reminded me why I loved what I was doing.
Working at Pearson gave me the opportunity to use my skills in illustration, design, and storytelling for something bigger than simply creating artwork. I was contributing to the education of young people. And because I genuinely enjoyed the work, it rarely felt like just a job. It felt like I was doing what I loved and, at the same time, helping students learn.
This image is just one of the many illustrations I created during that chapter of my career.
But whenever I look at it, I don’t just see an illustration.
I remember the day my daughter found my name underneath one.
And I remember thinking, This is why the work matters.
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