A native of Hammond, Jonathan Wong graduated from Southeastern in 2002 with a Bachelor
of Arts degree in General Business. Since graduating, Jonathan has gone on to establish
two very successful restaurants, Cate Street Seafood Station in Hammond and the Boston
in Amite.
A true leader in the Hammond community, Jonathan has been identified by his professional
peers as a visionary, motivator and generous role model. He is a former board member
for the Hammond Downtown Development District and was previously recognized as a “Future
40 Under 40” recipient by the Daily Star. Today, Jonathan currently serves as a member
of the Southeastern Foundation Board of Directors and as an advisor for the Mary Bird
Cancer Center.
Jonathan’s continued involvement and passion for Southeastern is demonstrated through
his outreach to the students of today. He has hosted dinners for the University’s
international students, lead initiatives that have donated over $3,000 in food to
the Southeastern Food Pantry and his restaurants serve as an inviting, vibrant place
of employment for many Southeastern students.
Jonathan is truly an ambassador of Southeastern. He is constantly looking for ways
to engage more young alumni and encourage them to pay it forward for the next generation.
His goal is to “be the face of giving back” to the University.
He has volunteered with a number of events on campus, including Giving Day and Chef’s
Evening, and has been a guest speaker during Business Week and at the Young Entrepreneur’s
Academy program.
Jonathan currently resides here in Hammond, mere blocks from campus, with his wife
Trang and his children John Van and Clara.
His efforts contribute to success at the ground level – planting seeds of success
for others along the way. For this, we are pleased to honor Jonathan as our 2021 Young
Alumnus of the Year.
