1992 - Born in St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, California.
1997 - 2004 - (The Elementary Years)
3rd Grade Math Competition (Mathathon) Participant Trophy (I promise. It gets better after this.)
4th Grade - Mathathon (5th Place), Oratorical Poetry Recital (3rd Place), Science Fair (1st Place), Spelling Bee (4th Place)
5th Grade - Mathathon (3rd Place), Oratorical Poetry Recital (2nd Place), Spelling Bee (3rd Place)
6th Grade - Mathathon (4th Place), Oratorical Poetry Recital (2nd Place), Spelling Bee (2nd Place), Graduated Elementary School with Honorary Principal’s Award
2004-2007 - (The Middle School Years)
7th Grade - Oratorical Poetry Recital (2nd Place)
8th Grade - Participated in Mock Trial. First Co-Valedictorian of newly established middle school, Cesar Chavez Middle School in Lynwood, California.
Anecdote (for context): Around the 7th Grade is when I started to develop an interest in Manga and Anime. I had heard about Anime Expo and really wanted to attend. I asked my father and he threw down the gauntlet. I had to be valedictorian in middle school for him to let me attend. So I accepted the challenge and I have now attended the convention for 15 years. Thanks, Dad!
2007-2010 - (The High School Years)
9th Grade - I was among the first to attend the newly created High School, Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School in Lynwood, California. This was my first exposure to an International Baccalaureate School.
10th Grade - I transferred over to Lynwood High School and enrolled in whatever Advanced Placement programs they had to offer. I was also a member of JSA (Junior Statesman of America).
11th Grade - I became a Secretary for the Junior Statesman of America.
12th Grade - I was in Rotary Club. I became President of the Lynwood Delegation of the Junior Statesman of America. I was a member of the Movie Club. I was an AVID Tutor. I was a Teacher’s Assistant for an AP Biology Class. I founded the Anime Club. Lastly, I placed within the top 5 of my Graduating Class with a 4.2 GPA.
Among the AP Classes I took in high school were: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP English Language and Composition, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, AP U.S. History, and AP U.S. Government and Politics.
I passed the following with a 3: AP English Language and Composition, AP U.S. History, and AP U.S. Government and Politics.
Armando Cepeda - A Historical Timeline
2010-2011 - My First University - (University of California - Los Angeles)
I long had a dream to become a doctor when I was young as my parents were in the medical field. My mother was an E.R. Nurse and my father was a Pharmacist Technician. So, I enrolled in UCLA in their Pre-Med Neuroscience Major. However, I was not able to financially support myself to accomplish this dream, and so begins my journey of self-discovery.
2011-2014 - Pre-Photography Days
During this time, I put myself to the test. If being a doctor was my dream, I would do anything to pursue it, right? However, my passion shifted into being able to try new things. Upon which, I enrolled in Santa Monica College. I took 5 acting classes, I took some art classes, I even tried my hand at Nursing. However, at the end of 2014, I dropped out of college. Perhaps school wasn’t for me and I wanted to find my calling.
2015 - The Start of it All
While working at a coffee shop (Tierra Mia Coffee), I stumbled upon old high school friends. One in particular started doing photography with his film camera and I was enamored. Shortly after, I bought my own digital camera (Canon Rebel T3i) and I used the Instagram platform to reach out to friends or people who would be interested in working with me. I had ideas and a lot of them and for once, I felt like I could creatively make all my ideas into something tangible. I re-enrolled back into Santa Monica College into Photography School.
Through photography school, I learned studio lighting, the mechanics of the camera and technical school. However, during this time, Instagram became another source of knowledge. I learned how to network, various editing techniques, how to work with clientele, how to manage social media, how to attract new clients, and how to ultimately adapt. Thus, my username: Matchapazzi was born.
2016-2017- Establishing A Foundation
During this time, I was working with Fashion Bloggers, Brands, PR Agencies, Freelance Models and Agency Models all while working as a now promoted supervisor at Tierra Mia Coffee and entrusted to help open up its new location in Long Beach, California. I was featured on Nylon Magazine’s Instagram, interviewed by VoyageLA, and had my first publication look book on the Zoo Shoo website. Eventually, I left my coffee shop job and worked for a start up gaming companythat helped Twitch incubate streamers all while enrolling full-time at community college. I had the intention leaving photography school since I had been doing it in real time to much success and transferring to a University again to acquire my Bachelor’s degree.
2018-2020
Before transferring and getting accepted into Cal State LA, I got a job as a Barista at Riot Games, a company which I had tremendous respect for since I had been an avid League of Legends player. There, I got my first taste of being able to see the bigger picture. I networked and made a lot of friends there that shared a similar culture and value for all things pop culture and arts. I ultimately left to finish my degree and got my Bachelor’s in the middle of the pandemic.
2021-Current
As things are gradually shifting back, I find myself with all these experiences a more mature, humbled and hard-working person. I intend to utilize my skills honed by networking, working with others, and the intangibles gained from photography to create an opportunity for myself to grow as an individual and take my career to the next level.