Jodi proudly shared that she’s a consistent honor student, too!
Welcoming the new year means new trends, new habits, and new goals in life. After all, it’s never too late to chase your dreams—we just have to put in the effort in it, and that’s what actress Jodi Sta. Maria will be doing in 2025. Jodi just announced that she’ll be taking a break from acting to focus on her studies.
In case you didn’t know, Jodi is a psychology graduate, and she has been open about her advocacy for mental health. In an interview with ABS-CBN, Jodi revealed her plan to pause acting for a while to take up a master’s degree in clinical psychology.
“This year, I’m taking up my master’s degree in clinical psychology,” she declared. As much as she’s enjoying playing different characters as an actress, Jodi eyes to put on another hat outside the entertainment industry. “Kasi naiisip ko, as a human being, parang I can do so much more. Na parang mayroon pang life outside of showbizness. Naisip ko na, oo, I’m an actor, but I can put on another hat,” she told ABS-CBN.
Now in her 40s, she furthered that pursuing a graduate degree wasn’t something she did on a whim. It’s something that she really wanted, with the goal of providing better mental health services to everyone who needs it. In fact, one of her dreams is to create a small mental health center that’s accessible to all.
“It’s my dream to put up a small center to make mental health accessible to all—hindi lang for people na kaya magbayad, but para sa lahat. ‘Yung heart ko, from the time I started studying psychology, when I did acupuncture detox and got my certification there, ‘yun talaga nasa heart ko. And God willing, ‘yung dream na ‘yun will turn into reality,” Jodi said. During the interview, she even shared that she’s been a consistent honor student—proving just how much she enjoys learning as well.
Instagram/jodistamaria
Jodi Sta. Maria’s career
It’s been a while since Jodi got her college degree in 2021. She was one of the celebrities who proved that age doesn’t matter when fulfilling one’s dreams, especially if it’s for their education. Jodi finished college at 39 years old.
“I dreamt of finishing my schooling ever since I entered show business and today, after more than a decade, marks the fulfillment of that dream. After four long years, I am here graduating from college,” she shared the good news on Instagram Wednesday, June 23. The actress graduated from Southville International School and Colleges with a bachelor of science degree in psychology.
Jodi is known for groundbreaking roles in Philippine television even before she graduated college. And after she got her degree, she continued to be the prime actress that she is by giving life to so many remarkable characters. ICYMI, Jodi led The Broken Marriage Vow as Dr. Jill Victorino. The mentioned teleserye was the Philippine adaptation of the hit Korean drama, The World of the Married.
Recently, she comes back to the smallscreen with another revenge-seeking character, Jasmine Flores a.k.a. Lavender Fields in Lavender Fields. She stars together with Jericho Rosales and Janine Gutierrez in the series, which will be airing its finale on January 24, 2025.
