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.

Debra Cummings

I grew up moving around quite a bit until around middle school and high school, which taught me how to make friends easily and connect with people I didnt know. My father, who is from Peru, really shaped many of my perspectives~ his dedication to hard work and education ( his perfect english!) pushed my sisters and I to excel academically, even though we had different interests. For me, that interest was always in art and being creative.  Read More>>

Andrea Krohn

# Magazine Interview Answer

**Where are you from and how did your background and upbringing impact who you are today?**

Originally from Long Island, New York, I’ve moved over 20 times—just short of half of those being cross-country relocations. I’ve even designed three homes in three different states. Read More>>

Jack Nitz

My parents both moved to New York in the late 70s, and lived there until there were four of us kids crammed into a studio apartment. My dad is a painter and my mom was a dancer, and looking back I can see how much that bled into our upbringing. I remember my dad pointing out a discount cell phone shop in our neighborhood and showing me the art deco accents on the top of the building. To me it was just another shop, but he taught me to have a critical eye and appreciate the layers in everyday sights. Read More>>

Natalie Speech

I was born in Kalispell, Montana, but I was raised mostly in Kansas City. In the late ’70s, my mother had the chance to work anywhere in the United States. With six brothers and sisters, we wanted to stay put, but ultimately, the family had to choose. Since I had always dreamed of being on Soul Train, I voted for California. Read More>>

Lane Young

While both of my parents are from the East Coast, I am a quintessential California girl. Most people know my hometown, Gilroy, as the “Garlic Capital of the World,” but I know it as a place that is stitched together through storytelling. Drive 30 minutes in any direction and you’ll see California not just as a beautiful backdrop of scenery and palm trees, but as a character with mysteries to uncover, if you can see through the fog. Walk through Monterey or Salinas and you’ll feel the spirit of John Steinbeck humming in the air. His writing taught me to appreciate the soil, sea, and sand beneath my feet.  Read More>>

Darshana Bala

I am from Malaysia, a beautiful multicultural country in Southeast Asia. My upbringing is heavily influenced by Malaysian and Indian/Sri Lankan culture, as my ancestral roots trace back to South Asia. Family, community, culture, spirituality, and human values form the foundation of who I am as an adult today. Read More>>

Musa Maurilus

I’m from Queens, New York and stayed in both Queens + Long Island. I’m a Haitian, Dominican + French American, coming from a family of immigrants. Their determination to give my family and I a good upbringing and education set me up to be where I am today. Read More>>

Eli Smith

I grew up on a farm in North Carolina and moved to LA in 2014. My parents are both insanely creative and active—like alien level. My mom’s an incredible artist, any medium she chooses, my dad’s a singer-songwriter and a horse trainer—so between them and constant farm work, I never really had a shot at being idle or normal. If I wasn’t hauling something around the farm, I was in the woods building forts or playing guitar.  Read More>>

Joshua Greenbaum

My Name is Joshua Greenbaum and I’m a studio artist from Jersey City, New Jersey.

Jersey City can be dark at times, yet it is always lit by moments of brilliance. It is filled with people who mean well but sometimes cross unforgivable lines. Others are branded criminals, only to rise later as heroes in their own right. Here, wealth and poverty, love and hate, medicine and drugs, all coexist. Crime walks our streets, yet justice remains ever present- and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s this fragile balance that makes my city great, and it’s up to us all to keep making it even better. Read More>>

Shereen Ali

I’m a Palestinian American, and growing up between two cultures shaped how I see beauty and identity. In my community, caring for hair has always been a ritual, often using one of Palestine’s most treasured ingredients — olive oil. That upbringing taught me resilience and creativity, and it’s what inspired me to create products that not only nourish hair but also celebrate our culture. Read More>>

Nicola Tallarico

I’m from Los Angeles—yes, one of the rare unicorns actually born and raised here. I usually say I grew up in West LA, but truthfully it was Bel Air. Basically, I came into the world with a platinum spoon in my mouth… and probably a valet ticket in my hand.
My parents are fancy people: lavish parties, European vacations, always the best of the best. I was exposed to everything from spaghetti and meatballs to caviar. At home, meals were simple thanks to my Italian dad and Jewish mom, but dining out meant the best restaurants in Beverly Hills or Paris. Read More>>

Amy Bett

I’m from New South Wales, Australia, and grew up in a tiny town called Jerilderie on my family’s sheep and cattle farm. From a young age I was out helping my dad and grandfather with the animals, riding motorbikes, and learning the satisfaction that comes from a hard day’s work. That upbringing taught me two things that have shaped who I am today: first, that no job is too small, you roll up your sleeves and get it done; and second, that teamwork and persistence matter. I played a lot of team sports and worked casual jobs as early as I could, always chasing the next goal. I loved earning money and building independence, and that drive has never left me. Read More>>