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.

Johnny Zhang | Art Director

I was born in Northern China and immigrated to the Bahamas at the age of 10 with almost no knowledge of the English language. I was placed in an environment where I had to learn and communicate entirely using creative means, such as hand gestures, drawings or even mimicking sounds. It took me about 3 years to fully understand and speak English and in that time I developed an interest in art and photography as well as a desire to express myself through visual means. Today, at times, I feel no different than that kid trying to communicate with everyone, but nowadays it’s through video and animation in the form of everything from personal short films to art documentation and cooking demos to national tv ads. Read more>>

Bhakti Patel | Chiropractor

I was raised in a small town in central Florida by two immigrant parents from India who implement homeopathic remedies, work hard and put others before themselves. Growing up, I enjoyed tutoring, volunteering at nursing home, and physically training students with learning disabilities. All of that ultimately drove me towards a career in helping others. As a chiropractor I take pride in being able to help others with manual therapies and patient education. Currently, I specialize in working with musculoskeletal injuries such as sports injuries, whiplash, muscular imbalances and joint pain, using a combination of rehab techniques, fascial release and dry-needling. Read more>>

Isadora Velazquez | Immigration Attorney

I was born in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico to a Puerto Rican father and a Venezuelan mother. My mother deeply loves her country with all her heart, and she would have never left Venezuela had she not met my charming father while studying abroad in the United States. It was never her intent to live the life of an immigrant nor did she ever need to yet love chose her path. I had the honor of being raised in paradise until the tender age of 15 when my entire family moved to Venezuela for my father to pursue a great employment opportunity. While living in Caracas I had the privilege of attending an international school in which I was exposed to a wide variety of different cultures I probably would have never experienced have I spent the rest of my life sheltered in the magnificence of my island. After my high school graduation, I moved to Miami to attend college. To survive I had to work in the city I eventually turned into my new home. Read more>>

Dani Parada | Wedding and Elopement Photographer

I was born in Cali, Colombian but came to the united states when I was 5 years old. I haven’t been back since, so I can’t tell you how good our salsa is. Times were pretty tough for us in the beginning, although I never really realized that until I was older– my mom always did a pretty job of making life seem grand and magical. There were days when my mom wouldn’t eat to make sure I could but she always made the best of our situations by joking and reminding me of how far we had already come. We basically started from zero in a country that neither of us knew anything about. Like most immigrants, this isn’t how the story ends. When I turned 7, my mom met my step-dad Beny, who, over the years took on the role of a real father. They worked pretty normal jobs for a few years until they were able to open up their own business. Read more>>

Yohanna Law | Graphic Designer

I’m originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I moved to south Florida when I was 10 and it was a complete shift in culture and circumstances. My parents didn’t have much, but what they had here stretched far more than what they had in Brazil. It opened my eyes to the incredible blessing I had been given — moving here meant having more resources and opportunities and this is something that stuck with me as I grew older and eventually started my business. What I do isn’t something I will ever retire from. Whether I’m designing to express myself or in my career, it’s a passion I won’t ever give up on. Much like my upbringing, I see this as something that has its ups and downs. The highs are amazing, but the lows are pretty discouraging and there are times where I feel like giving up. However, I remember the sacrifices and every hurdle that led to this moment and I feel like giving up on my passion is essentially giving up on myself, and I can’t do that. I’m very grateful for my journey because it taught me resilience and perseverance — two things that, to me, are essential in making it in life. Read more>>