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.

Dr. Uwa Onyioha Osimiri

I hail from Nigeria, a place where the idea of community takes center stage in our values and beliefs. My family instilled in me the understanding that the well-being of our community rests on the shoulders of those who have achieved success. There’s a powerful saying in our culture: “My wealth lies in my community.” This emphasizes that true success isn’t measured by personal riches but by our contributions to those around us. Read More>>

Rachel Mashburn

I was adopted from China and came to the United States when I was 11 months old. I grew up in Fayette County, where I was raised by a loving and supportive family. From an early age, I felt a little different from the people around me. It wasn’t just about having a different background. It was a deeper feeling of not quite fitting in. I often struggled to relate to the conversations and experiences that seemed to come naturally to my peers. That sense of disconnection made me feel isolated at times, but it also pushed me to art and all of the outlets it has to offer. Read More>>

Kayla Argo

I am from Madison County, GA, which neighbors Athens-Clarke County where I currently work and live. My background has a huge impact on me and where I am today. Madison County is very rural and a lot of its residents have been there for generations. My mother is a sibling of 8 and my grandparents both had over ten siblings. Most of my mom’s side still all live on the same driveway, and the city I’m from is so small it no longer has the one red light since it was changed into a roundabout. My family has worked manual labor most, if not their entire, lives. It seemed like my parents always figured out how to get by but money was a constant stressor. Read More>>

LeAnna Morgan Key

I was raised on a family farm in rural Harris County, Georgia.

After school, my daily routines consisted of caring for livestock, or helping my parents with whatever farm tasks were on the agenda for that day, so needless to say, a strong work ethic, and the ability to utilize every resource available to you was instilled in me from a very early age.
In 2005, just a year before I graduated high school, my late Uncle, Lon Marlowe, along with his wife, Lynda, built Oakhurst Weddings and Event Venue, on family land in West Point, GA, and the rest is history! Read More>>

Nytoyia Laughlin

I was raised in Miami, Florida, by very young parents, 15 and 16 years old. Because of that, I was what some might call a “family child,” raised around a circle of strong women, including my grandmother and aunts. They were figuring life out in real time, and I witnessed both the beauty and the brokenness that came with that. I’m the oldest daughter, oldest grandchild, and oldest great-grandchild, so leading has never been optional for me. It’s been my default. Read More>>

Sharon Fuente

I think there are two things about my upbringing that really influenced who I am today as a professional photographer. The first one was a big box of family pictures that my grandmother had at her house. When I would visit her I would ask to see the pictures. As she pulled them out one by one, she would tell a stories about the people in them. I learned so much family history, stories that I still pass down over fifty years later. That was the beginning of my love of documenting moments in life. Read More>>