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.

Bailey Mateer | Franchise Owner and Operator

I was born and raised in Orlando, Florida – one of the top tourism destinations in the United States. I grew up in a household with a very determined entrepreneur, my Dad, who taught me everything I know about success and even failure. He found something he was very passionate about and grew it to a multi-million dollar company, which he eventually sold to a publicly traded company in 2018. My whole childhood was centered around him growing and expanding his business, which ended up being the greatest learning experience I could’ve ever asked for. Read more>>

Queen Naja | Podcaster

I am originally from the DMV area. I was born in Southeast Washington D.C and raised in Suitland Maryland. The DMV has some of the most talented, smart, and amazing people who often don’t make it out of the city. Growing up I didn’t speak much but I was very observant of my surroundings and I always just imagined moving out of the city and creating a brand for myself. Being from the area has an impact on who I am today because it motivates me to keep going. Read more>>

Ricardo Ales Ales | Artist – BirdCvlt

I’ve been drawing, pretty much, my entire life. Until I got to college, I had never been told that being an artist was something I could make a career out of. Nobody in my family is an artist, nor did they know any artists, so the thought of doing something like this just never occurred to me. I began college with the intention of majoring in mathematics. I quickly realized I wanted nothing to do with math at the university level and switched my major to music. I figured that might be a good fit for me as I enjoyed playing guitar and singing and had been in a few bands throughout middle and high school. Read more>>

Carol Cassis | Executive Director of Luxury Sales and New Developments

“Remember who you are and where you come from; otherwise you don’t know where you are going”. My parents gave me the opportunity to be born in Los Angeles California while my dad was getting a PHD in UCLA ;however my main studies where in Santiago de Chile during the Pinochet Regime. I learned the difficulties of living in a 3rd world country with social and political divisions. That “helped” me with my decision to study journalism and become a Tv reporter with the mission to get the right information and spread it to the community. Read more>>