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.

Ashley Flemming | self care enthusiast

Coming from Jamaican background, Jamaicans are resilient no matter where they reside. My hashtag #NoWaistGyal is to give ladies the motivation to keep going. Setting & hitting goals while being sexy Read more>>

Lara Sleiman | Art Curator

My name is Lara Sleiman, and I’m from many places. From Lebanese origins, I grew up in the warmth of Senegal, in Dakar. After my baccalaureate, I studied law in Paris, France. Fortunately, I can say that growing up, I got the best of all three worlds. My background pushed and triggered my curiosity about the world and cultural differences; it taught me how to compare, understand, and adapt to everyone’s way. Thanks to this approach and a profound passion for the arts, I started talking to many artists, asking questions about their inspiration, goals, and purposes. Beautifully, every artist carries a part of history through their work. After this realization, the desire to highlight their work from all over the world emerged. This pushed me to New York, the absolute most excellent scene for contemporary art nowadays. And it led me to want to be a curator. Where I’m from and the memory of the people I have met and am meeting drive my journey in this very international city. Read more>>

Georgia Culp | Sustainable Fashion Designer

Within the fabric of my heritage, there is a story intricately crafted within a small city called Baldwin Park, situated just outside of Los Angeles, California. A vibrant student, I studied Drama, Chorus, and Drill Team. As the curtain of High School fell, excited by dreams of gracing screens and stages as an actress or dancer. I ventured into the heart of Hollywood, lending my voice to the live stage shows at Universal Studios while becoming a parade performer of Disneyland’s parades and shows in Anaheim. While studies in the arts of dance and acting, I found myself on the sets of TV shows and movies like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Clueless,” content in the shadows until the allure of costume design casted its spell upon me. Venturing into the backlot of old Hollywood on the Paramount Pictures lot, I glimpsed the magic of costume creation and felt the whispers of history in the fabrics that adorned the stars of yesteryears. A new dream stirred within me, and as I sailed the seas as a social host on a Cruise Ship, fate led me to Florida where I crossed paths with my former spouse and was blessed with two beautiful boys. Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design and Merchandising, I embarked on the voyage of bringing my dreams to life, immersing myself in the realms of high-end fashion, construction, graphics, and the business of Fashion. Read more>>