Where you grew up and your background can often have surprising effects on our lives and careers. We’ve asked folks from the community to tell us about how their background has affected them.

Luis Linares | President at Crane Monsters Corp

I’m from Venezuela, and I’m very thankful and proud of my background, my parents taught me great values that have shaped who I am today in Business and in my personal life. I grew up playing Tennis and early on it showed me that hard work pays off. Read more>>

Destinee Cordova | Digital Creator

I am born and raised in Houston, Texas. I believe I come from a family full of visionaries and go getters. Always exercising our creativity when it comes to visual arts, event planning and entrepreneurship. Growing up, I’ve always had a strong infatuation with creative directing and today I use that in my love for digital creation. Passionate about producing social media content for businesses, individuals and myself of course! Picturing ideas that I have in my mind for projects is so exciting and fulfilling when I see it come to light through the lens of my camera. Read more>>

K Brock | Rap Artist

I’m from Southern California actually. With a split household I was back and forth from the Inland Empire to North County San Diego which is where most of my family is. I’ve met a lot of people growing up and the relationships I’ve made have introduced me into another level of possibilities. From family to friends, the situations I’ve been in required me to grow up quick. Read more>>

octavio orozco | Entrepreneur

I’m Octavio Orozco. I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Mexico, but have lived for more than 15 years in the United States. For 25 years I had an exciting but demanding career in advertising. This included global agencies with the management of accounts in different industries and countries (Automotive, CPG, Tourism, Airlines and Entertainment.) Read more>>

Joel Holmes | Musician & Senior IT Consultant

I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Being a city filled with such a rich culture and history of music, I feel that music is something that been ingrained in me my entire life. Growing up in a two parent home also afforded me the privilege of having both my parents be there to support me in trying new things. They never missed a game when I playing sports in little league all the way through college. They attended every choir concert whether I had a solo or not. This gave me confidence in knowing that whether I was successful or not, I had a support system in place. Read more>>