Even if you are from the same neighborhood as someone else, you might still be coming from different places. Where you are from is a complicated question and it elicits complicated, but interesting and thought-provoking responses. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Brieanna Carter | Licensed esthetician & body contouring specialist

I’m from Decatur Georgia. I’ve always wanted to have my own business ever since I was a kid in elementary school. I started my first business in 6th grade making and selling bows. So this business lifestyle has always been something I wanted to do . I grew up around so many hustlers and people who knew how to get money it always pushed me to get my own. Read more>>

Cristiano Benfenati | Actor, Writer, and Director

I am originally from Reggio Emilia, Italy. I grew up there and completed high school there before moving to the US. I think there is a lo too be said about being from there. The warmth and sense of collective that comes from a European upbringing had a huge impact on the way I interact with people today, both in professional settings and personal ones. There is a welcoming and friendly energy stemming from home that I try to cherish and practice in my everyday life to this day. I bring it on set, on stage, and everywhere else I might find myself, always carrying with me a little bit of home and the people in it. Read more>>

Stacia Tuppince a.k.a ATLSTACY | Lash Entrepreneur & Lash Technician

I am from the heart of the south of Atlanta, GA. My background as a child was not everything I always wanted but it was worth everything my mom could give. Living with my mom seeing her do her best to raise me made me do nothing but want to go harder for her as I got older. Coming from living in the “ghetto” or “hood” as many would say, I can say I have made a strong impact on the person I am today. Without these struggles and obstacles I wouldn’t know how to keep going despite the mistakes of haters that came my way. I was brought up in church learning to reap what you sow. You do good things then good things will happen and vice versa. I of course made mistakes that contributed to consequences but after learning I made sure to turn that mistake right to get good things out! Read more>>

Rico Gotti | Atlanta Rap Artist

I am from Southwest Atlanta… aka Zone 3 and grew up on Sylvan Road and Mechanicsville. My background and upbringing impacted who I am today by seeing the men in my family hustle to get money. They taught me valuable life lessons and gave me meaningful advice as a teenager, and those values made me the man I am today. Also, my mom was and still is an important person in my upbringing, She showed me that if she can do it, then I can do it. Everything that I do or say is a reflection of those important people in my life and I am wiser and smarter with every move that I make. Read more>>