There are so many factors that affect how our lives turn out, but one of the most interesting is how our backgrounds give us unique strengths and perspectives that affect who we are as adults. We asked rising stars from the community to tell us about their background and upbringing and how they feel it’s impacted who they are today.

Leslie Liao | Stand Up Comedian

Born and raised in Orange County by loving immigrant parents, so I have that perpetual double life syndrome. I wanted my parents to feel proud of me, and I wanted to feel respected by American kids and know that I belonged here. That whole struggle was frustrating, but hilarious to me…and I now have this strong urge to be authentic, ignore stereotypes, and make fun of everything. I’d say I’m somewhat reclaiming my identity through writing and performing stand up. Read more>>

Nimo (Linqian) Jiang | Illustrator & Storyteller

Geographically I am from Changsha, a city located in the south of China. It’s not a big city, but a small, very life-like city with a slightly slower pace. Culturally I guess I come from a place of connection to the world. I was born in the last two years of the twentieth century and the Internet played an extremely important role in my upbringing. I live in a complex and exciting cultural environment where the Internet and globalized trade have led me to read from a wide range of sources. In addition to fictional manga from China, Japanese manga and anime, Disney animation, and European indie manga have given me an extremely rich reading experience. Read more>>

Megan Collins | Jeweller & Jewellery Business Coach

I grew up in the mountains in South Africa, in a small village called Hogsback. So one could say that I had an unconventional upbringing, to say the least. While others my age were playing with dolls, I could be found up a tree, building a bush shelter, or foraging for blackberries and mushrooms. I loved problem-solving and coming up with creative ideas to make fun projects with whatever I could find around me. Read more>>

GIAHN | Artist

Hi, I am GIAHN. I am from a city called Daegu in Korea. My background is in Engineering specifically semiconductors and solar cells. Currently, I am dealing with various mediums based on photography and media.
I start my work by observing around me and the things that have a relationship with me. This part starts from my background. Because of that, I often refer to Korean history and social phenomena to explore the social structure and varied relationships. Read more>>

Shiloh Baylon | artist, commercial model, singer/songwriter

I’m from Huntington Beach, CA and I’ve always been very passionate about performing since I was a little girl. My music has been highly influenced by my dad who is a musician as well. He started introducing music and just singing to me as early as three months and I showed interest and started singing along with him at the age of 18months. Music is life in our family, without music life would be boring. Read more>>

Desiree Jenkins | Chef/Entrepreneur

I was born and raised in Southern California and worked in the restaurant industry for 20 years. I had the pleasure of traveling around the world and spent 6 years living on Maui, HI. These travels sparked my interest in the culinary avenue, as I was introduced to new flavors and styles of ethnic foods. I gained more experience when I worked on a National Geographic’s cruise line when I was promoted from steward to Pantry Chef. At that time I knew it was something I wanted to pursue professionally. Though I got my degree in Education, I am proud that I took the path that I was most passionate about…food. Read more>>

Emma Seitz | Floral Designer

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon by two entrepreneurial parents. My mother was an independent real estate agent and my father had a trucking start-up, so I was surrounded by people working incredibly hard and on their own terms. That definitely gave me something to live up to, but an understanding of the sacrifices I would have to make and the amount of work to put into my career to make it successful. Read more>>

Danni Gee | Dancer, Vocalist, and Presenter

I grew up in SW Philadelphia with my Mom who raised my sister and myself alone after divorcing my Dad when I was around 2 years old. My Mom was always very smart and extremely resourceful. She was also interested in the arts and around the time I turned 7, she took us to New York see our first Broadway show which happened to be “The Wiz” which piqued my interest in singing and dancing. A few years later, she enrolled us in a private performing arts school where I began my first formal dance training. My Mom worked a lot of long hours for many years at Philly’s main Post Office at 30th Street, in order to provide us with the things we needed and the occasional splurges like family vacations. Read more>>

S. Lakmé Iyengar | Cinematographer

I grew up in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. My parents immigrated to Australia from India in the early 90s, so I was raised with an infusion of both Indian and Australian culture, which is a big part of my identity today. I was interested in creative pursuits like photography, art, and music, but also enjoyed the logic of science and mathematics. So cinematography feels like the perfect combination of both my interests; I can be creative but also use technical and numerical skills. I completed my undergrad degree in Sydney in Communication and Media Production, which only further reaffirmed that cinematography was my passion. Read more>>

MAGÏN | Trilingual Artist Athlete

I was born and raised in the 209. My parents are from the islands of Portugal, and my Godparents are from México. My background and upbringing has heavily impacted the way I carry myself and the music I share with the world. Read more>>

Angelina Sorokin | Artist, Graphic Designer & Illustrator

Depending on how you look at it, I am from many places. My parents immigrated from Russia in the early 90’s and I am a first generation American who grew up in Nebraska. At 13 I transplanted to California and feel like I became myself in Sacramento, Ca. My dad is an artist in every sense of the word. He was a bold, bright, funny, man who saw the opportunity for creativity and wonder in rare places and a lot of him rubbed off on my outlook on the world and the ways in which I see the ordinary as extraordinary. My dad was an oil painter and my sister and I would tag along to the monthly open gallery evenings. Read more>>

Autumn Mishler | Brand Identity Designer & Visual Storyteller

Growing up in a low-income family in Flint, MI had a huge impact on who I am today. My mother was a single mom of three who struggled to support us all financially but never struggled to support us emotionally. Even when everything was chaos around us the consistency in her message was that I could do and be anything. Witnessing her stress about bills and rent and how to keep going instilled in me this irrefutable determination to never allow myself to live that way. When I was a teenager we moved eight times in a span of two years. Read more>>