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.

Stephanie L. Canizales | Researcher, Writer, Creative

I’m the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants who met in Los Angeles, where I was born and raised. I love saying I’m from LA, and even more so that I grew up in the MacArthur Park and Pico Union neighborhoods. These are the neighborhoods that some people might drive through as they get from West or Central LA to Downtown across Wilshire and surrounding parallel streets. Other might actually stop in for pupusas, platanos fritos, champurrado– only the best. Read more>>

Daniela Varela | Writer. Creative Director. Traveler

This is a tough one. I am – and will always be- Uruguayan by birth. I was born in Montevideo, the capital city, where the majority of the country lives, and that means only 1.5 million people. My family brought up a curious, healthy, funny girl that, little by little, realized that not belonging was not the curse she first thought it was, but actually, the best way to stand out. My parents raised me for the world. Read more>>

Bryan Danial Joseph | Artist

I was born and raised in Aurora, Il A city/suburb of Chicago. I think aurora impacted me in a cultural way. My hometown is home to a lot of different cultures and traditions, races and religions. My family moved a lot but we moved throughout the city of Aurora. This made me very aware of culture and the importance of it. From language to arts to fashion.
My work deals with race, culture, popular culture, celebrity, subcultures, and random acts of living. Read more>>

Kaushal Patel | Voiceover Artist & Actor

I was born in India, and was raised and brought up in India and partially also in the United States as well. When I look back at my upbringing, I am so glad that I got to experience living in India. Growing up there, I was able to develop fluency in Hindi and Gujarati, which are languages from India. As a voice actor, it helps a lot to know multiple languages, and there have been a few instances where I got to use those languages for voiceover jobs. Read more>>

Carol Rosenstein | Founder and Executive Director of Music Mends Minds

I’m from South Africa. I came to the United States in 1962 to study a chiropractic form of natural medicine which evolved into psychology and mind body medicine. I educated people for 25 years about mind body medicine using clinical nutrition and the philosophy that the body seeks to heal itself given the right opportunity. Read more>>

Chia Ling Yang | Motion Graphics Designer

I’m from Taiwan. I’m a motion graphics designer. I have been really interested in Art since I was a kid. Therefore, I went to the art school and studied Commercial Design in college. Four years of training has helped me build a really solid foundation and knowledge of art and design which really impacted me being a motion graphics designer as my career today. Read more>>