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.

Valeriia Zaporozhets | Photographer

I was born and raised in Cherkasy, Ukraine and moved to Ottawa, Canada when I was 17. These days, I tend to think about how lucky I was to have a happy childhood and to grow up in an environment that allowed me to be creative, whether it was at school or in any extracurricular activities I was involved in back then. Read more>>

Lance and Lea | Artists/Songwriters

Lea is from Ohio/Colorado and I am from Texas. Read more>>

Michael Jermaine Doughty | Artist

I’m from the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. I grew up in North Philly in a neighborhood called Nicetown, but it wasn’t so nice. North Philly is probably the toughest part of Philadelphia. I grew up watching a lot of my peers fade away, either by drugs, jail, or violence. After seeing all the chaos around me, I wanted my story to have a different outcome, so I chose to put my focus into my creativity instead of the streets. Read more>>

Cassandra Houston | Human Resources Director/Best Selling Author

I am from a small town called Dolemite outside of Birmingham, Alabama born and raised. I was raised with 5 other siblings, 4 sisters and 1 brother. My mom and dad was married for over 50 years. Family was and is the most important part of my life. My parents made sure that we understood that no matter, what we stick together as a family. Read more>>

Brandi Johnson | Serial Entrepreneur

I grew up in Detroit, Michigan and was born into a very affluent and conservative family. I am a 6th generation entrepreneur and come from a long line of successful merchants and service providers. I had wonderful parents that literally did any and everything for me to have the best experiences from ballet to golf lessons. Read more>>