We asked rising stars from the community to open up to us about their end goal. We asked them where they want to be, professionally, by the end of their careers and have shared some of those responses below.

Andria Jones | Nail Stylist, Body Specialist, and Boutique Owner

The end goal is to be a cosmetic chemist for women in the beauty industry. It sounds absurd, I know! I graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biochemistry. Simultaneously, while working on my undergraduate studies, I decided to go to nail school and obtain my nail technician license. Now that my first business is up and running, I’ll be starting graduate school to obtain a Master’s in Cosmetic Science. My desire is to own two businesses, The first, a full service beauty salon/boutique under my current brand. The second, own a laboratory that formulates skin care, hair care, and nail care products for other business owners in the beauty industry. Read more>>

B!G Duffel | @big.duffel

Most of us grew up being told how to live our lives and not asking why, but it doesn’t have to be that way. People who made up this game called life were no smarter than us: we have the power to walk away from their standards and make our own. Oftentimes we adults forget the promises we gave ourselves as children. Children are organic and honest. Somewhere down the line between a child and adulthood, we allow others to place their limitations on us. The people we allow to influence us are on pedestals that only exist in our minds. These intangible factors range from anything such as relationship, position, title, or any perception of superiority. Children are easily persuaded and the disaster comes with the toxic environment they are born into. Read more>>

Joshua Smith | Photographer, Creative Director, and Artist

Professionally, as an end goal for my career, I want to be a full time photographer, expanding my brand, working with different creatives and celebrities such as Issa Rae, Zendaya, and brands such as Savage x Fenty and so on and so forth. Eventually, I want to open up a few studios all over the United States. After that I’ll pursue my other avenues, such as, music, fashion, and dancing. Read more>>

Lauren Chappell | Photographer

Photography has always been a stepping stone for me. In school when picking majors I felt as though a photography major would give me the opportunity to be my most creative. My end goal is to be a creative director. With projects in school, every detail in the way that I constructed the image mattered to me. So, that is where my love for creative direction came from. I would love to be the artistic brain behind brand campaigns. Having projects that are more based off concepts is a goal while being able to work with a team that consist of set designers, stylists, makeup artists, and photographers. Working with Vogue and GQ would be the ultimate dream. Although I have a strong love for Atlanta, doing work in LA and New York has always been a goal of mine as well. Read more>>

Reather Gardner | Entrepreneur

What is the ultimate goal? Since moving to Indiana, I’ve been asking myself this same question every day for the past 6 years. In 2015, I relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana, to attend the University of Indianapolis. I was a pre-med student at the time, and I said to myself, “This is what I want to do., but what I want evolved over time. If it wasn’t something I enjoyed doing every day, I couldn’t picture myself getting up every day and doing the same thing. I wanted to accomplish something that I was enthusiastic about. I adore fashion, beauty, jewelry, and handbags. I’ve always known what I wanted to achieve, but I have never taken the necessary steps to make it happen. Read more>>