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.

Eda Valle | Hairstyles

My name is Eda Ivonne Valle.  I am originally from Mexico City and was raised in Michoacán.  My parents were very honorable in the community and raised me with very high morals.  I couldn’t say a bad word or put my elbows on the table because I was afraid of getting hit with the chancleta or flip-flop (Mexican family discipline).  I’m an only child and I loved playing with my old Barbie.  I washed and styled her hair straight and then curly so many times. When I got bored  I would play with my dogs and I would cut their hair too.  When I was 16 I started doing hair for little quinceañera parties, girlfriends, and everyone said that I should be a Hairstylist 🤔. Read more>>

sami leigh | digital creator & nursing student

I am Sami and I am from Cuban descent. Growing up in a Hispanic household definitely influenced my family values and work ethic. I was raised to be honest in representation, to always try my best in school, and to stand up for what I believe in, even if it meant going against the majority opinion. I am blessed to have parents that encouraged self-confidence and nurtured my creativity. Read more>>

Brittney Forrister | Owner of The Lot

I’m from a small mountain valley town in North Carolina. It’s a vibrant maker community and even when I wasn’t fully appreciative of my surroundings, I was learning from people who knew how to carry something start to finish: make their own soaps, fix their cars, grow their garden, build their home. I grew up with humble, loving, creative, hardworking people who thrived in a somewhat isolated, but two hours from everywhere, town. Read more>>

Eric Lupton | President of Life Saver Pool Fence Systems, Inc

I was born at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach, FL. My parents lived in a townhouse in a neighborhood called Golf View Harbour — a funny name, considering that the subdivision has neither golf, view, nor harbor — less than a mile from the hospital I was born in. As a baby, I moved with my parents to another house in Golf View Harbour. When I was 18, I moved out on my own — quite the feat for an 18-year-old with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair — into a house I purchased, also in Golf View Harbour. A few years later, I upgraded to my current home, also in Golf View Harbour. Read more>>