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.

Martina Mifsud | Artist

I’m from a tiny island called Malta, bang in the middle of the Mediterranean. Growing up, the beach culture has always been so prominent in my life of course, I lived at the beach. I was always drawn to a certain crowd, those who were louder, bolder but mostly confident. I wanted to be like these people. After documenting them for a while I started painting them and that was the beginning of a very special collection Read more>>

Nehal Tenany | Co-Host, That Desi Spark

Annika and I are children of immigrant parents from India – we are first-generation South Asian Americans living in the United States. Our background and upbringing have played a huge role in our dual identity. Growing up, it was really hard to navigate because you’re trying to be as respectful to your culture and your parents who immigrated here by maintaining as much of the South Asian roots you can but then at school, you also want to fit in and adapt to the American culture. Because of this, we both developed some resentment toward the South Asian culture in our younger years. Read more>>

Emily Greenstreet | Florist

I was born and raised in Pasadena, CA. My family was always interested in art and flowers, so naturally I got a lot of exposure to both. As a kid I was enamored by flowers and spent a good amount of time in the yard gardening with my dad. He would take me to Home Depot every season and let me choose the flowers for our yard– my favorites were marigolds and snapdragons. If you pinch snapdragons the right way, they look like they’re talking, and for a kid obsessed with Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, I found this idea of talking flowers quite amusing. Read more>>

Oshri Cohen | Executive Producer

My Name is Oshri Cohen and i am originally from Israel. since i remember myself, i wanted to be a part of the entertainment industry in the US. since i am not a US citizen, i started to think how can i make it to the US with a job that i can be good at, and that can also give me the platform to promote myself. I am an Artist myself, Singer, songwriter and producer, so LA is defiantly the best place in the world for people like me. Read more>>

Sonovia Marie | Fashion Stylist/ Visual Director

San Diego, CA is were the journey began. My mother has been a large influence in my fashion sense. She passed down an archive of clothing to me that she wore from her teenage to young adult years. My mother would show me different was to style each piece and how to look upscale on a budget. As a little girl I pictured myself in a castle surrounded by unique fashion. I knew that one day, I would have the chance to create my very own mark in the fashion industry. Read more>>