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.

Lejin Fan | Content Creator & Artist

I was born and raised in Xiamen, China, it’s a peaceful coastal city with good food, beautiful scenery, and vibrant culture. However, it’s a very small city so I don’t have much access to bigger shows and events, so I spent a lot of time on the internet instead. I started to watch a lot of anime and became a big fan of K-pop in early elementary school, they’re huge influences for me even now. Read more>>

Natalie Reyne | Fine Artist

Certainly! Here’s the revised response: I am originally from Krupki, a small town in Belarus. Growing up in such a close-knit community, I was surrounded by a rich cultural heritage and a strong sense of resilience. My upbringing in Belarus instilled in me a deep appreciation for hard work, resourcefulness, and the beauty of simplicity. Read more>>

Peggy Yen | Illustrator & Occupational Therapist

I was born and raised in Taiwan. My families are sweet but also somehow strict, which is just like my illustrations, cute but also ironic. Also, I hold an Occupational Therapy B.S., which influences me and my work a lot. Drawing is one of my favorite occupations. The way I have tried to balance my repeating daily life. Read more>>

Nicole Lynn | Founder, President & Executive Director

My upbringing was anything but typical. Growing up in Los Angeles and its surrounding areas, my mother and I frequently moved due to chronic homelessness. Though undiagnosed, my mother showed clear signs of bipolar disorder, which not only kept us unhoused but also left me feeling isolated and burdened with a secret much bigger than myself. I had no one to talk to and no idea whom to trust. Read more>>

Kevin Yang | Concept Designer

I come from a Chinese immigrant family, and spent my childhood years in China. During that time, my grandfather, a hobby artist and painter, taught me how to draw. He was also a fantastic traditional Chinese painter, which meant he painted with an ink brush on parchment paper. Read more>>

Ural Garrett | Journalist, Content Curator, Social Media Manager and Storyteller

Ural Garrett is an Inglewood native and graduate of Southern University And A&M College. For over a decade, the content curator and social media strategist has worked alongside various brands and outlets, including Complex, BET, IGN, The Hollywood Reporter, Oculus, Trigger Mix Reality, TechRadar, CNN, and more. Read more>>

Juliet Lyons | Recording Artist

I grew up as a musical theater nerd in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While I loved the music my ultra cool big sister was introducing me to as a kid, such as The Cure, Depeche Mode, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, I was insane about anything Andrew Lloyd Webber, and of course Les Mis, which I probably still know word-for-word by heart. Read more>>

DeMario Andre | Fashion Stylist & Voice Personality

Im from a Small town 45 miles south outside of chicago called Kankakee, IL During my childhood my mother always kept me and my brothers well dressed and put together like we always stayed looking nice from our clothes to our shoes it was 4 of us altogether I’m the third oldest (middle child). Read more>>