Inspiring Stories from South LA

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 South LA’s finest artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rebel rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with our city’s incredibly deep talent pool.  Check out South LA’s rising stars below.

Lorenze LaNier

You’re right, CEO. I missed details you had already shared. Your mentors meant you needed a product to sell to help fund the mobile laundry and shower service. Here’s the story pulled together with your corrections: I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life, and I’ve always wanted to help people. My story includes foster homes and Skid Row. Read more>>

Ryan Vinikoor

Raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, I always felt like an outsider and felt never quite fit in with the world and people around me. From a very young age and ever since I could remember, I have been highly sensitive, passionate, and imaginative. Read more>>

Dirk Dye

It all started at a flea market…I found a bitchin’ hat that needed some work, and realized after speaking with the seamstress that I could dig around for some materials and do the work myself. Little did I know what started as a need to fix my hat would turn into a forever passion. Read more>>

Christina One

Communication has always been my superpower. Even as a little girl, I had a voice and wasn’t afraid to use it. I followed that gift to USC, where I earned my degree in Communications, then went on to earn an MBA from Georgia State and a master’s in Organizational Management from the Sorbonne in Paris. Read more>>

Wahsan Flores

I was born and raised in Los Angeles to Garifuna-Belizean parents, and music has always been around me. My dad was a DJ, and my older brothers were rappers and producers, so I naturally gravitated toward it. Read more>>

Marva Smith

Marva Smith Consulting grew out of more than 30 years of experience working at the intersection of government, nonprofit leadership, community development, arts and culture, and public service. I began my career in public service working for Congresswoman Maxine Waters, where I grew from an intern into the role of Special Projects Director. Read more>>

Kade McKenna

I began in middle school, creating films for my multimedia class. I immediately fell in love with the medium of film. I joke that I picked up a camera in middle school and never put it down. Read more>>

TONGTONG ZHANG

I grew up in Beijing, China, went to university in Hong Kong, and moved to the United States for graduate school, with short periods working in the UK and Germany along the way. I’ve always loved experiencing different places and ways of life, and that curiosity has inspired me to travel and live in different parts of the world. Read more>>

Zahra Knott

My passion for art and fashion started as a child under the influence of my parents, both professional educators and talented artists. My mother taught me to sew and weave, and my father and I embarked on many projects together, from tie-dye to ceramics. Read more>>

Danny Armas

I was born and raised in Inglewood, California. After graduating from high school, I attended college for two years before deciding to join the Marine Corps. One of my biggest motivations was making sure my mom had the legal documentation she needed to remain in this country. Read more>>

Erick ‘Sen’ Moreno

My name is Sen, and I’m a visual artist, muralist, and community arts educator from Los Angeles. I came to the United States from El Salvador in 1981, when I was five years old, during the civil war. I arrived with my stepmother and stepsister after a period of heavy fighting. Read more>>

Champ Johnson

I was born and raised in the Bay Area. Vallejo, CA to be exact. My parents are Pastors and I got my start in the church. I always had a vivid imagination. Read more>>

Los Angeles Gamelan Festival Production Team

In the summer of 2025, the gamelan community in Los Angeles held the Los Angeles Gamelan Festival (LAGF). This festival celebrated the 50th Teaching Anniversary of Bapak I Nyoman Wenten and Ibu Nanik Wenten who have dedicated decades of their lives to teaching gamelan and dance in California, and are central in the sharing of Balinese gamelan and dance with students in the US. Read more>>

Danica Bucci

I am a pop/R&B artist, songwriter, performer, and producer from Canada. My journey in performance started at the age of three when I began competing in all genres of dance. By age 11, I took up voice lessons, going on to compete in and win several vocal and musical theatre festivals. Read more>>

Pierre Coray

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Septimius The Great

From the streets of Baltimore, MD in Park Heights, I was raised and came into my own. The Son of a single mother that was struggling with Alcoholism and Depression and absent father – I pretty much raised myself with friends as my family. I started my journey with dreams of another life which allowed me to evolve 7 times so far in my life Read more>>

Sevonna Brown

You know, I think the part of my story that rarely gets told is that I never really had a traditional roadmap for my life. I’ve always been someone who followed what I felt called to do, even when I couldn’t fully explain where it would lead me. Read more>>

Marika Pruss

Growing up, I’ve always loved music. I started piano when I was three, played violin and French horn for a few years, and loved singing and dancing. I found the love of making up my original songs when I was eight or nine. I always knew I wanted to be a musician. Read more>>

Shayla Fulton

My Journey: From Tennis Champion to Entrepreneur and Community Advocate My name is Shayla Fulton, and I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. My journey has been shaped by discipline, determination, entrepreneurship, and, most importantly, the importance of giving back to my community. Read more>>

Amy Prenner

When I launched The Prenner Group in 2007, I was excited and, honestly, a little terrified. I had spent years inside established shops, including five years at Wheel of Fortune, and now I was walking away from that structure to build something of my own. For a woman starting a business back then, the hardest part wasn’t doing the work. Read more>>

Mac

I’m from Fort Worth, Texas, and graduated from Dunbar High School. I’ve always lived where music and engineering meet. After Dunbar I studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. Read more>>

Ali Sene Castro

Right out of college, I graduated with an associate’s degree in performing arts. With $6000 I’d saved working three jobs while in school, I moved to Los Angeles with just my clothes and my car. I cramped into a two-bedroom apartment with four other roommates. From day one, I refused to let myself get comfortable. Read more>>

Isabel Mendez

I believe God puts certain desires in our hearts for a reason. For me, entrepreneurship began with a feeling that I wanted to build something of my own, to use my creativity, discover what I was capable of, and create a life that felt connected to my purpose. Read more>>

Jasmine Davis

I’m a Chicago girl with big dreams, a creative imagination, and a passion for storytelling. I’ve always believed that life is too short to limit yourself to just one dream. Why choose one creative path when you can explore them all? Read more>>

Eric LoPresti

I was born in Colorado but my formative experience was a bicycle wreck in the remote desert of eastern Washington State. I was peddling solo in the heat of late summer and — dehydrated — cast myself over a concrete embankment, crashing onto the asphalt. As I came to, I realized I’d made a horrible mistake. Read more>>

Alyshia Barragan

My journey started in 2015 when I became a beer model while raising my son as a single mom and working two jobs. I had recently left a difficult relationship, and I was determined to create a better life for myself and my son. Read more>>

Bre McCory

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, I started my career in the music industry and graduated from Cleveland State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. I found my way into SEO through my first job and quickly fell in love with it. Read more>>

ezrah Lockwood

I am an East Coast native and life long musician. I began playing clubs and bars before I even had a drivers license. I soon found myself immersed in the the rave scene which is when my connection with synthesizers and technology really took off. I went to school in NYC studying audio engineering by day and performing live electronic music and DJing by night. Read more>>

David Blacker

My journey to becoming a therapist was anything but conventional, although looking back, I think I was always meant to end up here. As a young boy, I often felt different, struggling with insecurities and a sense that I didn’t quite fit in. Read more>>

Mike Goldfarb

I’m a born-and-raised Angeleno. I grew up in Brentwood, went to Brentwood School, and then headed east to Brown University. Los Angeles has always been home, and even after exploring different professional paths, I’ve found myself drawn back to the city and the communities that shaped me. My path into real estate wasn’t entirely linear. Read more>>

Jennifer Peterson

After more than 20 years in the beauty industry, I was inspired to create a premium, eco-friendly shampoo to address my own hair loss and that of others–a condition that had increased significantly during the pandemic (probably due to increased levels of stress). I reached out to a former P&G colleague, a renowned haircare formulator, with 4 simple priorities: 1. Read more>>

Jaime Hidalgo de Calcerrada de Miguel

I grew up in Spain, being a dreamer. As the son of a paycheck to paycheck mom, I never gave myself a chance. Once I moved to the U.S., I started navigating what it meant for me to dream. Read more>>

Sam Grant

I was born in Brazil, grew up in Toronto and spent several years living in Australia before settling in Los Angeles, which is home base for Sam Grant Productions today. Moving that much taught me how to walk into unfamiliar rooms, read people quickly and make them feel comfortable. That turned out to be the core of my job. Read more>>

Megan Fullmer

I grew up in a multigenerational family, and gathering around the table was often the one time when we were all seated in the same room and had a chance to hear from each other and connect as a group. From a young age, I remember appreciating how food brings people together. Read more>>

Brandon Mitchell

My journey has been a unique one, shaped by creativity, family, and a willingness to embrace different opportunities. Before starting Ladies Lounge, I worked as a freelance model, which allowed me to explore different styles, looks, and forms of self-expression. That experience helped spark my interest in the beauty industry and ultimately inspired me to pursue something of my own. Read more>>

Donnella Andraos

I AM Movement is a woman-owned, mother-daughter business in Irvine, California. We’re a gym for seniors and adults with special needs that uses fitness and friendship to create community. Three factors led to its launch. First, I was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer when I was forty-eight. It’s a rare and aggressive form of cancer with a high mortality rate. Read more>>

Maya Davidoff

I always wanted to make music, but for a long time I didn’t have the courage to admit it, mostly to myself. In middle school and high school I went to an arts school and studied drama. I’d peek into the music department and wish I was part of it. Read more>>

Victoria Taylor

My journey began in Southern California. Born at Gardena Memorial, I was transported to Martin Luther King Hospital because my mother had no insurance. When we arrived, they were throwing a massive celebration to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. By divine timing, I was born on January 14th—just one day before Dr. King’s birthday. Read more>>

Sara STALLWORTH

Sara Ann Moton was born in Compton, California and raised in Lynwood, California, where she attended Lynwood USD schools. After marriage, she became Sara Ann Moton-Stallworth. She has five children and 10 grandkids. Sara began making cakes for the family holiday dinners. Later, she started experimenting with different recipes of foods and desserts to feed her family and friends. Read more>>