TV, Movies, and culture in general sometimes paints a narrow, specific image of what success is, but we know from our conversations with some of the best and brightest that success can mean vastly different things to different people.

(rara) Agatha Tiara Christa | 3D Animator, Layout Artist, & Story Artist

Success is “doing the things that bring one joy, regardless of one’s situation”. Each person’s joy is different. For me, success is storytelling through animation. Joy doesn’t necessarily mean happiness. Watching a movie can make someone happy, but watching a movie on repeat and studying it for hours could bring joy to a filmmaker or movie enthusiast. Even if they sacrifice sleep, sunlight, or human interaction, they could find joy in things that don’t always explicitly show happiness. Read more>>

Lindsey Colhoun | Interior Designer

To me, success is about truly loving what I do and witnessing the profound impact we have on the lives we touch and the spaces we transform. It’s about staying true to our values, nurturing creativity, and fostering a collaborative environment where growth thrives. Success is bringing a vision to life—whether it’s in a beautifully designed room or in the way a client feels at home. It’s about continually evolving, learning, and pushing boundaries while maintaining a balance between personal fulfillment and professional achievements. Read more>>

Brandon Crosby

The way I define success as happiness. It’s not about the money and the materialistic things that we all see. It’s purely about happiness. Waking up every single day with joy and passion to do what you love every single day, that’s true success. Inner success to me is about achieving a deep sense of contentment and inner peace, true happiness is a reflection that your life is living in alignment with your values, your passions, your purpose, which to me is much more meaningful than any external accolade. Read more>>

Cody Sloa

One of my professors in graduate school shared his definition with me, and it’s always stuck with me. I go back to it all the time. For me, success is having the people I respect, respect me. The longer I work, the more deeply I feel that the people I work with and collaborate with are the most important thing. When the people I look up to and respect fully see and appreciate my work too – that is true success to me. Read more>>