Even if you are from the same neighborhood as someone else, you might still be coming from different places. Where you are from is a complicated question and it elicits complicated, but interesting and thought-provoking responses. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Viet Dinh | Entrepreneur

I was born in New Orleans and raised in Houston. Early on I knew I was very passionate about business. Both of my parents, Ha Dinh and Tuyet Vu as well as my step dad Minh Pham, were hard working small business owners. I spent my childhood in nail salons, cooking in the kitchen and selling jewelry. This fueled my passion at a young age and I always wanted to find ways to improve the business. While kids spent time dreaming about toys and games, I dreamt of opening different businesses. Houston provided the perfect backdrop to have this mentality as it’s a melting pot of minorities all hustling to provide for their families. Read more>>

Jasmine McClendon | First Roller Skate Model

I am from The Big Peach better known as Atlanta, Georgia. Growing up in a single parent household my mother instilled in me that there was nothing that I couldn’t do if I prayed about it, put the work behind it and put my mind to it. I expressed to my mother that I had a passion to model when I was 13 years old because I loved taking pictures of myself and they always came out so pretty. My mother took me to an agency. I had the height but my weight from the waist down did not fit the runway figure. At that moment I knew I had to find a different route for my passion. As kid in Atlanta, I always loved going to the skating rinks. My favorite rinks growing up were Skate Towne, Cascade Family Skating and Sparkles. They played all of my urban music with a good mix of R & B and gospel. I literally fell in love with the uniqueness of the different moves that I could do and that is where the idea was born. Allow me to further introduce myself as the first hottest roller skate model in the nation. Read more>>

Magge Nunez | DJ Rosez & Scholar

I am native Houstonian of Salvadoran descent and I say that proudly. I grew up in the Spring Branch area (before it was gentrified) and I witnessed how hard my parents worked so I can have a roof over my head. My parents immigrated here several years ago from El Salvador to pursue a better future due to the poverty levels they faced, and I always used that mission as a fuel to continue to create spaces and pathways for marginalized communities in hopes of providing them a better future that my parents could ever dream of. My intersectional identities of being Latinx, of being queer, of being a woman, of being a DJ, of being a scholar have truly shaped the way I view the world, and have provided me with the strength to carry and empower my communities. With that being said I can proudly say I graduated with a Bachelor’s in psychology and a Master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology, joining the 4% of Latinas in the workforce. And because of that I wanted to explore my creative side, by joining the DJ community and still empowering mi gente. Read more>>

Briona Jenkins | DEI Consultant, Motivational Speaker, and Podcast Host

I was born and raised in CT by a very Pro-Black and Civically engaged family. I was taught that my voice mattered, that I could make a difference, and that I should always advocate for others. I grew up in a very diverse town, in a two-parent household (my parents owned our home) and had lots off access to activities and resources. In 2006, my mother passed, I was 15 (turning 16) and spiraled into depression, an eating disorder, and self-harm but I was fortunate enough to have access to a therapist at my school. I was very involved in high school (volleyball, mock trial, student government, yearbook) and balancing that schedule prepared for college. Read more>>

Derrick Murphy | Family Man/Business Man & Content Creator

I was born and raised in Gary, Indiana to Annette Strong and Derrick Murphy Sr. Growing up seeing my mother work 3 jobs to make sure we had food, clothing & shelter is where my work ethic come from. Today as a family man, having a 9-5 career and being a successful entrepreneur due to my hard work is something I knew I could accomplish because I had a great example! Anything is Possible with Faith & Hard Work! In addition to a group of supportive people to help you along the journey of life! Read more>>