Fullerton College is filled with diverse and interesting students and one of these students is Antonio Palomino. He is in his second semester and is pursuing a career in sound engineering and lighting. While taking the classes he needs to graduate, he is building his experience as a DJ.

“I want to make the night a memorable night because I want you to remember that night twenty years from now and be like, remember your twentieth birthday party? We need to party like that again” said Palomino, who DJ’s at weddings, parties and other events.

He is self-taught and he has purchased all of his expensive equipment on his own by working at Pitney Bowes, his mom’s mailing company. He works mostly on the weekends and has been able to save up enough money to buy a top of the line mixer, subwoofer and speakers.

“It all started when I was a junior at Fullerton High School,” said Palomin. “I got interested in speakers which led to my interest in DJing.”

At just 18 years old, Antonio is already booking gigs and making a name for himself. For instance, he offers his smallest package which includes two speakers and two to three lights for a time span of five to six hours.

“My motivation for doing [DJing] is to get people to dance and have a good time, you know, let loose,” said Palomino.

This business savvy student has DJed several weddings with no signs of slowing down.

All of his gigs are done solo. He brings his equipment and works his magic all night long with no assistance from anyone because he is the only one he “trusts with the equipment and is particular about how he sets things up.”

Palomino juggles his sound engineering classes as well as making sure to stay fit with weight training classes at FC. He was a gymnast for sixteen years and was top-ranked in the nation after training at Eric Will gymnastic center in La Habra.

Amongst all the talent that he portrays, he has overcome struggles like paying for equipment and dealing with peoples’ attitudes.

“It’s hard sometimes to find a happy medium at a party, some people hate the music that’s being played and some people think it’s awesome. I have to decide what to play amidst the 50 requests,” said Palomino.

Another hurdle he has surpassed is how to talk to clients when negotiating prices or talking on the mic during events. Sometimes he gets nervous but has gotten more comfortable with time.

“MCing can get people so hyped up. That’s in combination to having the right music to play,” said Palomino.

He always asks his paying customers for a playlist, but he is always equipped with music from the ’70s, ’80s and today’s hip-hop as his go-to.

“Music considered the oldies is always fun, it gets the older people up to dance,” said Palomino.

As for the future, his goal is to have his own business where he will be able to DJ and provide a comprehensive experience for parties of all sizes. He is already being hired from bigger companies and this is leading him in the direction he needs to go to achieve his goal.