Alex Soto
Much of who I am today stems from my mother and father. Growing up I seen them struggle to provide for our family and I watched them work their tails off to make sure that my siblings I had food in our belly and a roof over our heads. Their struggle made me realize that I never wanted to struggle myself. Read more>>
Gloria Kim
Ever since I could remember, I’ve been in Fashion, as a consumer or as a participant in the industry. And it’s a consistent trait running through my entire family. My sisters are all in either retail or designing, and my daughter Elizabeth did her grad school at F.I.T. I started working in the family business when I was 20 in 1979. Read more>>
Angel Yang
I originally studied marketing in undergrad but a 9-5 job was not appealing to me and I felt lost upon graduation. So I decided to teach English in Korea for a year to save money and to travel in Southeast Asia. After living in Korea, I took art lessons there and my buried passion for art was rekindled. Read more>>
Susana Marquez
I am a mother of a 3 year old boy…a Marriage and Family Therapist, Maternal Mental Health Clinician, Educator and Wellness Columnist for Mommy in Los Angeles Magazine. I am the owner of MeMyselfnMommy, a company focused on providing postpartum support groups, education and awareness on maternal mental health and breaking the stigmas of mental health in the Latina community. Read more>>
Simon Cardoza
Since I was a kid I’ve been taking photos, it started with disposable cameras in jr high and high school, I still remember winding up my first film rolls with a manual camera and that one roll I didn’t wind up right, moments never really captured. Experiences like that pushed me to learn more about photography and the aspects of it. Read more>>
James Rice
Volunteerism has always been a part of my life. Growing up I would volunteer constantly with Boy Scouts or through my local schools. When I went to college at Michigan State University (MSU) in the Fall of 2009 I wanted to continue volunteering. While I was there during my freshman year I got involved in the MSU chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). Read more>>
Joanna McFarland
The three of us that founded HopSkipDrive are all working moms. Between us, we have 8 kids that go to 5 different schools and about 20 different after school activities. We were really struggling to make it all work and get everyone in the family where they needed to be while juggling multiple schedules. Read more>>
DINA KABDOLLA
Originally I am from Kazakhstan, I ‘ v been dreaming to become a designer since 11 years old. I left my hometown when I was 15, to chase a goal. I lived in UK for 3 years and then moved out to LA, then graduated here at FIDM. I started developing my brand at 23 and launched at 24 ( it was way to early 🙂 ) but my life circumstances brought me here and since then, step by step we getting there. Read more>>
Alicia McDaid
I was raised by a basketball coach and racquetball pro, so I learned to love working out at an early age. I went to school for performance art, fashion, video, clown, and mime. When I moved to LA 3 years ago I fused my crafts together to create HyperBody, a hyperreality where fitness is the entertainment! Read more>>
Carlos Valenzuela
I started out as a kind of quiet kid with too much time on his hands that happened to own a guitar. At first it was just a way to pass the time. Eventually, I found a way to represent the emotions and stories i wanted through song. I never was good at drawing or dancing and music happened to be my niche. Read more>>
Emre Sonmez
I was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and moved to the US when I was 21. I went to college in San Diego. After completing my business program there, I then moved to Los Angeles in 2010. I have always loved to go into business. I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. In my childhood home, business was one of the most common topics of dinnertime conversation. Read more>>
Barry Wong
I’ve always had a passion for photography and technology since my childhood. I tend to gravitate towards technology when it supports or is combined with a creative goal. These interests are what served me well in my former corporate career and after ten years I stepped away from being a Director of Technology to accidentally starting a business. Read more>>
Nestor Gonzalez
I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures but I guess I never really thought about it until my wife was going to school to become a professional makeup artist back in 2015. I had this idea, “what if I buy a camera and learn how to take pictures just to help build her portfolio”. Read more>>
Jeremy Lucido
Jeremy Lucido is an artist, photographer and creative director located in downtown Los Angeles. Born in a suburb outside of Saint Louis, Missouri, Lucido was encouraged to follow his interest in art at an early age. At the age of 21, he moved to Hollywood, California to attend Otis College of Art and Design and receive a BFA in Photography. Read more>>
Jeff Peters
I, Jeff Peters, Urban Solar’s President, and Garnet Luick, Urban Solar’s VP of Operations and Engineering, have worked in the solar lighting industry since 2003. In 2008 Urban Solar was formed with a commitment to reliability and customer service. Read more>>
Ed Freeman
I’ve been taking pictures my whole life; it’s been my profession for the past thirty years. I started out doing headshots for actors, gradually moved into shooting commercial work, then travel landscapes all over the world for Getty Images. Read more>>
Aminat Odunbaku
My name is Aminat Odunbaku (Ameenah). I moved to LA to follow my dreams as a model after I finished my PR degree in Texas. My goal of booking campaign ads and runway jobs came very quickly. After a while I started to think about longevity in the business and decided I wanted to open an online clothing store at the age of 25. Read more>>
Sagiv Ronsano
Rosano Partners was founded in 2006 with the mission to provide a full-service commercial real estate brokerage and property management platform to under-served markets in the Greater Los Angeles area. Through utilizing its proven track record, collaborative team environment, diversity and first to market with technological integration. Read more>>
Corbin Keegan
I moved out to LA in 2012 and rode out on a Honda gasoline sport bike. Once there and knwing there was an even better way to move through time and space in LA i sold that motorcycle to fund develope and prototype my first Electric bicycle. Read more>>
