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.

Jason “Propaganda” Petty

I am I child of the Eastside. Born in South Central on the borderlands between the Black and Mexican communities, then shortly moved Twenty minutes east to SGV. Specifically Valinda/West Covina. Growing up in such a diverse community; west covina and Valinda being known for a Vibrant Mexican and Pilipino, population, really made me the cultural translator and ambassador I am today. While i never NOT loved my heritage, my father was an Los Angeles Black Panther, I felt a deep solidarity with the broader LA community Read More>>

Levi Thompson

’m originally from Liberia, West Africa as well as my parents, but due to an ongoing war I had to be born near by Liberia in Banjul, de Gambia. At the age of 1 I moved to Waukesha, Wisconsin due to my dad receiving a scholarship to go to Seminary school to become a priest. My family spent 7 years here before moving to St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands due to my father receiving a job there, I spent about 8 years here before then moving to New Orleans with my family where I spent the last two and a half years of high school before moving to Austin, Texas for college. Read More>>

Carolina Reyes

I am from Mexico.

I’ve visited the U.S since I was a toddler, but in the third grade we moved to California for a year (my mom wanted me to learn English) and then we moved back to Mexico.
We came back to the U.S my freshman year in high school and have lived here in Cali since. Read More>>

Lydia (Qianyu) Batey

I’m from Tianjin, a large city in Northern China. My father was a carpenter and my mother worked in a jewelry making workshop. I had a traditional upbringing and schooling, and trained in Chinese ink painting, calligraphy, singing and dancing. At university I studied “Teaching Mandarin to Foreigners” and this opened a path to meeting people from different cultures, as an 18 year old I worked with American teachers and their children and later I made connections with a British School in Tianjin where I met my husband who is an art teacher. Read More>>

Rob Cota

I was born in Santa Monica. My family was not wealthy so I became self taught in repairing broken things at a very early age. I was repairing my own bicycles and things around the house. I knew early on that I had a natural talent. My grandmother also recognized this and gave me broken items to try to fix and if I couldn’t fix them, I would take them all the way apart and try to put them back together. Read More>>

Dr. Alexis Daniels DC

From a young age I was drawn to nature and holistic practices, yet experienced a humble appreciation for modern medicine. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and spent much of my time outside in nature, crafting and convincing my parents into yet one more animal – cats, dogs, lizards, chickens, bunnies and horses to name a few. As a young child, I also experienced both my parent’s battles with cancer. Read More>>

 Mia Rocha

My name is Mia Marie Rocha, I come from a small beach town named Oxnard CA. I was the oldest of 7 siblings I always had such a crazy life from an abusing step dad to a mom fighting her own mental heath problems to my uncle who lived with us being into heavy drugs and my dad going in and out of jail my whole life. I grew up never having food in the house and if I did it was moldy or rotten but when you’re starving you’ll eat anything. Read More>>

John Baxter

I’m from the deep south, specifically Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I was raised in a culture that was, at the time at least, very masculine. Thankfully, I wasn’t bullied much for my interest in music/choreography/art, but I definitely felt very strange being the only person who was on both the football team and show choir roster. In a way, though, this felt encouraging to me. It meant that I was not just following in the same, well-worn footsteps of family and friends before me. I began to enjoy the idea of breaking barriers and staying outside of templates. The idea that a person like me shouldn’t come from where I came from created a desire to prove people wrong. Read More>>