Through our work we have had the good fortune of seeing firsthand how success comes in every shape, size, color, faith, and orientation. More importantly we’ve learned that success is often the result of people embracing their unique backgrounds and so we’ve asked the community to tell us about their background and how it has impacted where they are today.

YJ (Yeon Jae) Yoon | Industrial Designer at Rivian

I was born in Seoul, Korea, where my mother’s passion for music deeply influenced my upbringing. She was a professional cellist, and her way of communicating with the world through the language of music inspired me to find my own artistic expression. Instead of following in her footsteps as a musician, I discovered my talent for sketching, painting, and drawing to visually convey my emotions and ideas. Read more>>

Rico Loma | Musician & Chemist

I was born and raised in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. Growing up, music was always a part of my life. Karaoke nights, playing guitar, and talent shows are staple activities in Filipino culture. As an impressionable young kid, music quickly fascinated me. There was so much joy to be found in singing, feeling the rhythm of a song, and dancing. Read more>>

Sarah Stunt | Screenwriter & Actor

I was born in Toronto to an Anglo-Indian mother and a Canadian father with roots in Ireland. They both come from large families and I was unquestionably raised by these two diverse villages; family was everything. Read more>>

Natalie Wojtaszek | Fashion Model & Musician

I was born and raised in Newport Beach, California, and was adopted at birth, which I cherish. My parents, who are successful business people, have provided me with an incredible upbringing and numerous opportunities. My Mom left her job as soon as she adopted me and became a stay at home mom to raise me well and I feel she has done a superb job. Read more>>

Laura Crompton | PR Director, Hopscotch USA, and broadcaster

I am from the UK – near Manchester – where I grew up with my parents and younger brother. My mum and dad were always keen to instil in us a sense of adventure and possibility that we could take on anything – and clearly it had an impact as my brother now runs his own business in Brisbane Australia, and I’m recently in LA, having also previously lived in Mexico, Scotland and Ireland. Read more>>

Lisette Bez | Jewelry Designer & Goldsmith

As an adult, I am aware of how much my background has influenced my personal and artistic pursuits. I grew up in a multicultural home in a suburb of DC where my parents met. My mother was born and raised in Ecuador, and my father immigrated to the US from France. Both experienced language barriers and economic hardship but persevered to provide their children with a stable home. They worked hard and adapted to many new circumstances. Read more>>

Antares Vargas | Creative Alchemist: Producer, Editor, Writer, Cinematographer, & Photographer

I am from Mexico City, born into a family of both storytellers and entrepreneurs. Growing up, I witnessed the majority of my family members taking the leap into starting and running their own businesses. This experience was truly inspiring, as it allowed them the freedom to create their schedules and approach every aspect of their operations with creativity and passion. Read more>>

Maggie Mingqi Tao | Film Producer

I’m originally from China, and I came to the U.S. by myself when I was a teenager. My upbringing in China instilled in me a strong sense of determination and the value of hard work. Moving to a new country at a young age was a challenging experience that taught me resilience and adaptability. Read more>>

Jennifer Boyd | Multi-disciplinary artist

After several creative careers in my lifetime — Advertising Art Director, Limited-Edition Handbag Designer, Wardrobe Stylist — I moved with my family from Brooklyn, New York, to Los Angeles nine years ago. Feeling isolated in L.A. at that time, I went back to school to study Fine Art with an emphasis in Sculpture/New Genres at Otis College of Art & Design. Being back in school had me thinking intensely about where I’m from. Read more>>

Tommy Walker | The Mind Engineer

I am from Argentina but lived many years in the United States. Since I was very small, I felt like the black sheep of the family and was the bullied kid at school. I had many failed relationships, come from a failed marriage, and many failed businesses. I was stuck, very negative, depressed, and playing it small for many years of my life. Read more>>

Rachel Idol | Casting Director & Actress

I grew up in a small town called Saltillo, Mississippi. My mom and dad raised me and my twin sister in the modeling and acting business. So our life was very eventful, we were always traveling to modeling shoots or filming commercials. Life was fun and wild. Life happens of course, and I had my daughter when I was 19 years old and got married and was in the military life style for 16 years. Read more>>

Qloud | Music Artist and Producer

My name is Qloud, and I’m a producer, singer, and songwriter from Chile. Music has been a part of my life since I was a kid, but it was only about four years ago that I decided to turn it into a serious career choice. I was born and raised in Viña del Mar, a beautiful beach town in Chile. Read more>>

Shih-Hsuan Kuo | Cinematographer

I’m from Taiwan originally. As a typical Asian kid, expressing my emotions verbally never came easy to me. But then I discovered my passion for photography, and it felt like the perfect way to channel my feelings into something meaningful. My father was an electronic field production camera operator, and I was fortunate to have early exposure to industry professionals. Read more>>