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.

Nick Ricca

I’m from Maui, Hawaii, and growing up on the North Shore shaped every part of who I am. I spent my childhood in the ocean — surfing, swimming, paddling, and eventually picking up cameras to capture the beauty and culture around me. Living in such a special place gave me a deep connection to nature and to community, and it fostered my passion for storytelling. Read More>> 

Sammi Lee

I’m originally from Arizona and although I lived all over the state, the impactful years of high school – mid twenties were spent in Tucson. I grew up in a creative home with a musician father and writer/ dancer mother (as hobbies) who both always supported anything creative I wanted to pursue, which was initially music and dance. Once I was in college, I found myself deeply embedded in Tucson’s psychedelic music and art scene which inspired me to take my visual arts more seriously, leading me to pursuing my Associate’s in Fine Art. Read More>>

MARTIN COHEN

I am originally from the Netherlands. My father was a doctor and my mom a homemaker as well as a wonderful amateur singer. They would often make music together, my dad playing the piano – which he excelled at – and my mom singing art songs by Schubert, Brahms, Mendelssohn and many other composers, with her lovely soprano voice. So I was raised with music. I played some piano myself but got most of my musical training playing classical guitar. Read More>>

Remington Moses

I grew up in Los Angeles in a family of actors—my great-grandparents were Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, my grandfather was Ricky Nelson, and both of my parents are actors as well. Growing up in that environment, performance and the arts were just part of daily life. My great-grandparents had a television show, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”, where they were portrayed as the perfect American family. That legacy carried a lot of weight, and at times it’s felt like both an inspiration and a challenge to live up to it. Read More>> 

Jeff Ryan

I grew up in Mundelein, a suburb northwest of Chicago, where I spent my entire childhood and teenage years. That environment deeply influenced my decision to pursue the arts. My mom and grandma were both great at drawing, and my dad was the one who really pushed my love for music. He showed me all kinds of genres when I was little and even got me my first drum set when I was seven. I was also lucky to have a group of friends who were all into creative stuff too—we learned how to skateboard, play multiple instruments, and found different ways to express ourselves together. That collective energy and creativity shaped me into the person I am today. Read More>>

Lewis Carter

I’m from Los Angeles, California. I was raised in south central, but I went to school out in the Valley, and that balance shaped me a lot. Growing up in the hood taught me toughness, awareness, and how to move through life with resilience. At the same time, getting an education in the Valley opened my world to new perspectives, opportunities, and different kinds of people.
That mix of environments pushed me to adapt, to understand people from all walks of life, and to carry myself in a way that can fit in anywhere. It also gave me a drive to keep growing and creating, Read More>> 

Yitian Zeng

I’m from Wuhan, China, and I grew up in a simple and happy family where my parents gave me the freedom to explore what I loved. As a child, I was endlessly curious and creative. I would draw whatever came to mind, take apart remote-control cars and basketball toys just to see how they worked, and spend afternoons making crafts. Once, I even built a miniature cardboard guzheng that could produce sound. Read More>>