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.

 

Beatriz Palma-Zevallos | Nurse Practioner & Aesthetic Trainer

I was born in Barranquilla, Colombia, a beautiful beach city full of energy and happiness. My parents taught me that the best gift I would ever receive was my education. I grew up in a loving family and always had the support of my loved ones. I was lucky enough to go to an American school where I learned English as my second language. After high school, I decided to go to medical school and graduated as physician and surgeon in 2004. Looking back, these small milestones have allowed me to establish a career as a family nurse practitioner and aesthetic trainer here in the US. My upbringing always gave me confidence and trust that I could accomplish what I wanted to. Read more>>

Jorge L. Feliz Del Rosario | Police Officer & President of the Fort Lauderdale Hispanic Police Officers Association.

I’m from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. I was born into a military family which fostered my passion for law enforcement. My journey began at the Pontificia Universidad Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic, where I studied law. After moving to the United States in 2009, I graduated from DeVry University with a bachelor’s degree in Justice Administration, specializing in Homeland Security. Upon graduation, I was grateful to join the New York City Police Department, serving the Bronx community for two years. My career then led me to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, a rewarding experience that continues to offer daily learning opportunities. Read more>>

Adriana Adkins | Photographer & Creative Director

I am from Bolivia, born there but we immigrated to the states when I was in elementary school. My cultural background and ethnicity is so richly embedded in my world view and values. It has certainly shaped me as a person and creative. Where I currently live there actually isn’t the greatest diversity, so it’s a little difficult to bring forth some creative, diverse ideas I have in mind into fruition. Read more>>

Elena Duni | Pilates and Yoga Instructor

I am from one of the best kept secrets in the world, Ohrid, Macedonia. I am raised between Miami, Florida and Ohrid, Macedonia. Having been raised Eastern European has been such an asset to my life because I learned the “hard work pays off” work ethic from the US but I learned the art of enjoying life from my European side. Ohrid is nestled in the mountains next to one of the deepest lakes in Europe. (Fun fact: Second deepest lake to be exact, which still contains prehistoric fish to this day.) My parents being immigrants taught me the meaning of true hustle; Of what it means to be completely alone, have absolutely no support and still making a beautiful life from NOTHING. Read more>>

Glenn Wexler | Visual Artist & Graphics Technician

I’ve never really been able to strike a true balance between my personal and work life. I have been fully committed to my art and business practice. I have an over whelming sense of urgency when creating and producing my work, which leaves me with little time personal endeavors. Read more>>

Stephanie Scianna Pitts | Artist Owner I artNEST Studios

Work life balance is a funny thing. Are we ever really balanced or do we teeter on the rope just enough so we don’t fall down? When I first started my business, I wasn’t thinking about balance, I was thinking about being the greatest at everything I did all the time. Well, as you can imagine, that didn’t work out very well. I was absolutely exhausted mentally and physically. What I do understand now is that we are never actually balanced. Sometimes we are leaning to the side of our business or work, sometimes we are leaning to the side of our family/life. In both of these scenarios, we don’t neglect the other side, we just put more focus into one side, then lean back into the other and on and on. Read more>>

Irvin Rivera | Creative Photographer, Writer, Publisher

Work-life balance is something that I have to learn and re-learn over time. Throughout my more than a decade of experiences in the business, and through years of failing and learning to get-up and pick the pieces of myself back, I learned to prioritize some parts of myself more (mental, physical, emotional health, etc). My dad would usually tell me when I was younger to take care of my health first because the moment I get sick, I won’t be able to do any work. This advice took a while to percolate as I experience the effects of the work-life imbalance. But as the years go by, I was able to be more mindful about it, always considering if any work that I do is worth the risk, worth compromising my time, and worth doing in terms of the grander scheme of things. Read more>>