Where are you from and how has it impacted you?

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.
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>>
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>>
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>>
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>>
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>>