The heart of our mission at VoyageLA is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our city. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some of East LA’s finest artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble-rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with our city’s incredibly deep talent pool. Check out East LA’s rising stars below.
Leonard Acosta
Born and raised in California, I’ve lived a life of transformation, from the streets to the screen. After spending eight years incarcerated in the California Department of Corrections, I made the decision to change my life and focus on building a positive future for myself, my family, and my community. Read more>>
Vela Wang
I’ve always been drawn to beauty, structure, and meaning, the kind that lives in typography, color, and balance. Since I was little, I’ve been obsessed with how visual design can shape how people feel, even before they realize it. I studied Film and Graphic Design at Loyola Marymount University, which allowed me to explore both storytelling and visual language. Read more>>
Samer Fawaz
I came to therapy as a second career after spending more than two decades in the entertainment industry. On the surface, I had built a successful business that provided financial stability and recognition, but underneath, I was struggling. I often felt disconnected, anxious, and unsure of my purpose. Despite outward success, something essential was missing. Read more>>
Yu ‘Yuey’ Kito Lee
Looking back on my childhood, I realize I’m still very much the same person. I’ve always loved drawing and adventure stories, whether found in folktales, manga, video games, or travel essays. I think that mix of imagination, storytelling, and curiosity about the world really shaped who I am today. Read more>>
Hanna Peddicord
I grew up outside of Baltimore, a small, blue collar town where Maryland crab was the currency. My mom saw an ad in the newspaper for a dance studio called Dancemoves Studio of Dance (now Centre Pointe Performing Arts) and decided to enroll me at the age of three. Little did she know, she’d just forged the path for my future. Read more>>
April Ibarra
My Career Journey in Theatre, Education, and Film My love for theatre and the arts began at a very young age when my brother introduced me to plays and musicals. I grew up watching A Chorus Line, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Misérables, but seeing Annie when I was a little girl was a pivotal moment for me — I was hooked! Read more>>
Rudy Tellez
Honestly, it all started as a hobby; just me taking photos of my younger brothers in our living room on my first-gen iPod Touch. I didn’t think much of it back then, but something about capturing those little moments made me fall in love with the craft of photography. Read more>>
Robbie Moreland
From a very young age, I’ve always had a love for fashion. I knew that’s exactly where I wanted to be as I grew up and learned more about the industry. My education taught me that the fashion industry has numerous negative impacts on the global and social environment. This information led me to the field of sustainable design. Read more>>
Naseer Haider Siddiqui
My journey in film and visual storytelling began in Lahore, Pakistan, back in 2002, where I first discovered my passion for animation, motion graphics, editing and how visuals can emotionally connect people. I started small experimenting with short videos and learning every aspect of production I could. Over time, that passion evolved into a lifelong commitment to film and visual effects. Read more>>
Matt Savitsky
I was born in rural Pennsylvania and came to art through handicrafts and church music. Gay and sheltered. I was mentored by my high school art teachers, who nurtured the side of my artistic abilities that had to do with painting landscapes. I won awards which was cancelled out by coming out- but I got out. Next; Cooper Union and 9/11. Read more>>
Alexander Vidal
Originally from New Mexico, I’ve been working as an illustrator in Los Angeles for about ten years. I had previously studied Anthropology and Fine Art at Occidental College, and had gotten my Master’s at the University of Cape Town. I was living in South Africa when I decided I wanted to pursue becoming an illustrator. Read more>>
Claire McClain
Filmmaking wasn’t a possibility growing up in Missouri. I didn’t have any examples of filmmakers or actors in my sphere. I was a super imaginative kid and my mind was my sanctuary and playroom–really. I watched a lot of black and white movies. They had a big influence on me. ‘Angels with Dirty Faces’ a James Cagney movie was on TV one night. Read more>>
Andrea Hernandez
My journey to the mental health field stemmed from my very own personal experience at an early age. I first received counseling as a child, though I eventually stopped. It was not until my young adult years at Whittier College that I returned to therapy, during a time when I was navigating the overwhelming pressures of student life, work, and the constant pull of perfectionism. Read more>>
Ravin Marie
My story is one I’m really proud to look back on—it’s amazing to see how far I’ve come as just Ravin. I grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where my world revolved around sports, especially club soccer and competitive skateboarding. Music wasn’t even on my radar until my uncle gifted me an acoustic guitar when I was sixteen. That single moment completely changed my life. Read more>>
My Comunidad Foundation Yoga and Wellness Non-Profit
My Comunidad was born from a longing of not just physical healing, but for belonging. Clarissa Cota, the founder of My Comunidad Foundation, first came to yoga seeking relief from a back injury. What she discovered was something far more expansive…a tool for mental health, emotional processing, and ancestral restoration. As her practice deepened, so did her awareness. Read more>>
David Zhao
David Zhao Founding Partner.A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and Wharton graduate, David is a lifelong entrepreneur focused on revolutionizing the global food and beverage industry through innovation and integration. He founded NXTFactor at 13, specializing in Asian hospitality branding and technology build-outs, experience that now powers Chubby Group’s worldwide expansion as a next-generation F&B platform redefining how brands, technology, and consumers connect. Read more>>
Elle Erdman
I started a Pilates studio because when I moved here from New York there were not a lot of Pilates studios that matched the quality of studios I was familiar with, it was hard to find the classically strong foundation of Pilates yet taught with a fun, contemporary flare that I feel Pilates has evolved to what it is today. Read more>>
Monique Mendoza
My path into writing music for pictures is quite unconventional. My schooling background is actually in mechanical and motorsport engineering. I completed my undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering in Toronto, Canada and my master’s degree in motorsport engineering in Oxford, UK. Despite my technical upbringing, I’ve always been drawn to music throughout my schooling. Read more>>
Julie Weingarten
I grew up in Stockton, California, in a Chicano family where music played from sunrise to sunset. Those records—rock en español, rock, and oldies—became my foundation. After studying at Berklee College of Music, I moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, where I played seven nights a week in packed clubs, putting in ten-hour days and sharpening my craft. Read more>>
