Even if you are from the same neighborhood as someone else, you might still be coming from different places. Where you are from is a complicated question and it elicits complicated, but interesting and thought-provoking responses. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Randy Perez | Bar Lab RTS & Magic City Garnish Co-Founder

I started in the hospitality industry at as a bar back at Broken Shaker one of the 50 best bars in the world. I quickly put my head down and worked towards moving up as a bartender by learning, studying, and practicing every night at work as well as on my off time at home. I quickly moved up to bartender, bar manager, beverage director and then partner of Bar Lab Consulting. Through this growth I learned how important yet time consuming bar prep is for the staff and what a strain it has on a program when done inconsistently. Read more>>

Shilpa Iyer | Food & Beverage Photographer

I was born in India but my family moved to Singapore when I was 9 months old. We were fortunate that this opportunity to move to Singapore came about. While we didn’t know much about the country at the time, my parents recognized soon enough that while physically small, this country was culturally-rich and would eventually contribute vastly to my love of travel and food. . A tiny island, located at the southern tip of Malaysia, people from varied backgrounds both from the region and from afar called it home. Read more>>

Vlada Finsky | Interior Designer

Our upbringing plays a significant role in our lives. My life was always full of ups and downs, adventures, and risks, but I always had the strength to push through even when things were falling apart around me. I grew up in a loving and safe environment but with a lack of resources. This has been a plus because it developed my most powerful skill set — adaptability and teamwork. My lack of resources forced me to become resourceful through communications and connections. After I learned that, my story changed completely. Read more>>

Farah Abu-Hantash | Digital Creator & Community Manager at Yelp

Born and somewhat raised in the 305, I’ve been lucky enough to call Miami my home. Being a Palestinian-American, I never truly felt like I had a place to call home until my early 20’s when I realized that Miami has built me into the woman I’m proud to be today. Growing up in the Middle East, I was always too “American” to be considered fully Arab. My habits, accent and cultural norms were just different. The same was true once I moved back to the U.S. I was too “Arab” to relate to this westernized world. Read more>>

Kety Lopez | Psychotherapist and founder of Psych Blossom (Counseling & Wellness)

I was born and raised in Cuba, like so many people in Miami. I came to the US when I was 13 years old, with my mom, leaving all my family behind. This was the second big “split” I had in my life, the first being my parents’ divorce. Both of these events motivated me to seek my own healing, form a unique sense of identity, and eventually, become a therapist. The skills I’ve gained along the way have been extremely valuable to the clients we serve at Psych Blossom. Read more>>

Stecy Lambert | Owner of Numa Aroma

I was born in Leogane, Haiti and immigrated to the US at a young age. I grew up with parents that were very hard working. They were always involved in multiple projects and had multiple streams of income. My mom has been a nurse all my life but also owned a popular store in Haiti that she managed for years. My dad worked for Ministère de L’ Intérieur and invested in many local businesses. My parents taught me about integrity, hard work and dedication. Read more>>

Gary Traczyk | Firefighter and Sculptor

I was born on Homestead Air Force Base. I grew up on a military base until the age of 7. We then moved to Italy and I spent 5 years living in a small town outside of Venice. During this time, our family spent a lot of time visiting museums and traveling throughout Italy and Europe. I was exposed to all of this beautiful art at such a young age and it impacted me in many ways. I also was involved with martial arts. This was the first year I moved to Italy. I was part of a dojo during my 5 years in Italy. This played an important part in many ways which helped give me discipline and motivation to succeed. Read more>>

Thomas Pandolfi | International Concert Pianist

I was fortunate to be born into a family who adored music, and some of my earliest memories are being surrounded by the glorious sounds of orchestral music, piano music and opera. The piano, in particular, always thrilled me, and I remember as a child of 4 years of age, running over to the instrument every time I heard it on recording, trying to match what I heard through my little fingers. I am told that harmonically and rhythmically everything lined up, even though I had no idea of what I was doing at that point, Read more>>