There are so many factors that affect how our lives turn out, but one of the most interesting is how our backgrounds give us unique strengths and perspectives that affect who we are as adults. We asked rising stars from the community to tell us about their background and upbringing and how they feel it’s impacted who they are today.

Maribel Manzanares | Figurative Artist

I’m from Madrid Spain. But I have been traveling for many years, mainly through the United States. I think that as Spaniards we have a strong root of great painters. This means that we have inevitably developed a taste for quality art. Read more>>

Sonya McKinzie ThriveHER CEO & Recovery & Trauma coach | ThriveHER CEO & Recovery & Trauma coach for survivors of domestic violence and mentor to girls between 6-15 years old

My background and journey to becoming the CEO and founder of ThriveHER Incorporated started in Brunswick, GA, where I grew up. Now I live in Cumming, GA with my 12-year-old daughter. The main reason and inspiration for me to launch this nonprofit was that I am a second-generation survivor of domestic violence. I was able to heal and overcome the trauma and get the therapy and support that I needed to be whole again. When you endure the pain and sadness that I went through, it is hard not to want to help everyone out of their despair and out of our control. Read more>>

Ariesela Diaz | Trans Performer & Producer

I’m a true Cuban city girl from Miami. I was raised primarily by immigrant Afro-Latina women consisting of a team of my mother and my tía & abuela from my father’s side despite their biological relation. My mother was intellectually challenged and it took a long time for me to understand some of the obstacles we faced trying to understand one another growing up, however through this she taught me the unifying power of empathy: the force that connects us all in this human experience. Mi abuela was my world. Coming from the Caribbean, her love for me expanded her perspectives and she learned to embrace my emotions and the femininity she saw in me as a child. She’s an incredible woman whose impact and presence so great her children nor grandchildren ever felt the absence of a father. That’s that divine feminine! Now as a trans woman, I strive to uplift women by being a visible body positive trans woman and creating opportunities for femmes. I co-host the only woman-led drag show at the Villain Theater and co-produce the only all trans lineup of showgirls in South FL “The Outcasts Show”. Queer nightlife & drag as an art form is a male-dominated industry, and I hope to be the new generation of women that embody the quote “rebellious women seldom make history” and challenge views of validity, like the women who raised me. Read more>>

Ruby Hammer MBE | Makeup Artist and Brand Founder

My origins are British-Bangaldeshi, but I was born in Nigeria, West Africa. I lived there for twelve years before coming to the UK in 1973. I am a South East Asian woman raised in Africa, with formative years and education in the UK and as a makeup artist have travelled the globe extensively. All of these factors have driven me to be inclusive in everything that I do. It is second nature to me, inherent in my personality through the way I was raised. Read more>>