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.

Alexa Green | Boutique Owner

Like Journey said “Just a small town girl” from Vicksburg, Ms. I received my bachelor’s of science in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University and shortly after I launched my first business, Nights by Nicole. I have many influential people in my life that have made me the woman that I am today. When I was a little girl, my grandfather would sit me down and we do basic math problems ALL the time, even during the summer. This was the start of my love for math. Read more>>

Jocelyn Patterson | Shoe Designer & Creative Director of Gola Sweetgrass

I am from Georgetown, SC , a small rural town about an hour from Charleston, SC. My upbringing taught me the importance of community service. I come from a family of educators so I learned early on that education is the key to success. And so I am always eager to learn and gain skills and knowledge in my life. Read more>>

Jiami Liang | Illustrator

Hello everyone, my name is Liang Jiami, and I come from a beautiful small city in Northeast China. I have been very fond of reading manga and animation since I was a child. Influenced by these works, I am very keen on story creation, and I also like to use pictures to present fantasy worlds. After that, I started to create stories in the form of comics. For better storytelling, I chose to major in animation at the undergraduate level because animation is the combination of imagery and film and can make the appearance of fantasy elements and unrealistic themes justified. Read more>>

Lynese | Singer- Songwriter

I was born in Providence, Rhode Island raised in Georgia. I think living in the suburbs kept me out of trouble. Back when my family and I lived in Providence, there was a lot of gun violence and my mom didn’t want to raise me and my brother there. I always would find my way back to the city though. I love the city life more despite the violence. Growing up in an African household was fun yet very tough. I had to have thick skin at a real young age even though I was so sensitive lol. My dad was pretty strict with me but I worked my way around him lmao. Read more>>

Seon Shoopman | Actor and Animator

I chose an artistic career because it is what brings me the most joy and to others. I’ve been watching movies/tv and cartoons since I was a little boy, starting at around age 3. My grandpa is an avid comic book collector and drawer as well and that is what got me started. When I started doing theatre in high school, I knew from there I wanted to be in the industry as an actor. Performing in high school was so much fun and made me feel different than how I did playing sports. It was a different kind of joy. Others enjoyed my acting and that kept me going. Read more>>

Jimkenny Bazile | Artist & serial Entrepreneur

The freedom of expression where anything can be your medium. Which brought the realization to me that everything in interconnected, nothing is separate, all is one. Read more>>

Nyala Chamberlain | Makeup Artist

The reason behind me choosing to pursue makeup as a career is simple — it genuinely makes me happy! I’ve been doing makeup for as long as I can remember, and it’s basically a form of therapy for me at this point. I’ve always had an artistic/creative background, and I’ve always been into all things beautiful and glamorous…so it was only right that I combine my two favorite things and build a career around it! Read more>>