Inspiring East LA Stories

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.

Lori Castro

I started off like most of my friends, playing my electric guitar in my garage band as a kid, experimenting with sounds and recording on little boom boxes. Our drummer’s dad did wood working projects, so he had built a somewhat sound proof shop/shed. Read more>>

Tim Ford

I started my clothing business MANDEM in 2016 as an outlet for my thoughts following the passing of my mother. During this process, I chose to further establish and legitimize the brand as i began receiving positive feedback. Read more>>

Lindsey Nico Mann

I was born in Southern California into a large eclectic family of many cultures. I spent much of my childhood writing stories and poetry, dancing, making videos, writing songs and putting on shows for friends and family, making a mess with paint and dressing up in my mom’s vintage costume collection. Read more>>

Dr. Kiernan ‘Kiki’ Steiner

After many years of studying classical voice and choral music education in the academic setting, I found myself disconnected to my creative voice–my soul’s unique frequency. I was questioning my purpose, my career, and tired of chasing the feeling of success & validation. Read more>>

Dillon Klena

’ve been in and around theater for as long as I can remember—honestly, even before I was born. When my mom was pregnant with me, my older brother and sister were already performing. They were seven and five at the time, and I like to joke that I was “exposed” to musical theater in the womb. Read more>>

Eric Cheng

I have always been and still am a dreamer. I grew up in Troy, Michigan to two Chinese immigrants who were both automotive engineers. I was always a really gregarious kid, getting in trouble for doing cartwheels in class or talking nonstop to fellow students who didn’t always need me to be talking to them. I was cheerful, chatty, and funny. Read more>>

Macy Graham

Prior to my story involving candles, I became a licensed cosmetologist, with interest in working on movies and tv shows, doing hairstyles for the stars. Read more>>

Morgan Gonzales

I have been making candles for years but I knew that my primary mission in the company was to bring something bigger to people than a simple candle. I started to look introspectively. Read more>>

Justin Cheadle

My fitness journey truly began after my time in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was an offensive lineman weighing 330 pounds, and after football I transformed my body down to 230. During that time, I was working in medical device sales for an endoscopy company. Read more>>

Father Armenag (David) Bedrossian

My story is deeply rooted in the immigrant and refugee experience. I was born in Syria and raised in a region where faith, survival, and identity were inseparable. Growing up amid political instability and, later, the devastation of war, I witnessed firsthand what it means to lose home, safety, and certainty overnight. Read more>>

Ashley Leahy

I left my corporate visual merchandising job at Diesel to come out to LA in 2016, initially meaning to go into art department work in tv/film. I managed to snag a few freelance set jobs which were really fun but too few and far between, so I swapped to freelancing for an interior designer and working at a furniture shop. Read more>>

Sebastian Ayllon

I met my longtime friend and business partner, Albert Perez, in second grade. We grew up in the same apartment complex near Santa Gertrudes and Leffingwell Road in East Whittier. Like many kids from humble beginnings, we shared big entrepreneurial dreams long before we understood what that truly meant. Read more>>

Katherine de Vries

I’m Katherine de Vries, an artist and filmmaker based in East LA. I grew up in Ontario, Canada, spending summers in Nova Scotia, where I had free run of the beach and woods. Animals, nature, and the supernatural are motifs I keep returning to in my personal work. Read more>>

Zane Reynosa

My name is Zane Marie but I also go by Zane One; I am a Los Angeles native from Whittier, California. I use my gifts and express myself in many forms. I started my career in music in 1989 at a young age and I am blessed to still be active in the Hip Hop community as an Emcee in our city. Read more>>

Jamaal Barnes

My story in East LA started when my family was looking for a youth football program for my son Jayden. Fate landed us in East LA at the East LA Bulldogs Youth Football Program. I was a volunteer coach for my son Jayden’s team along side now head coach Patrick Vargas of the Garfield Football program. Read more>>

Nathan Cayanan

It took me five attempts to get my book right. Over ten years–maybe even twenty if I’m being nitpicky–of starting, almost finishing, giving up, and starting over again. That’s what happens, I guess, when you spend a good part of your life waiting for permission to follow your passion. Mine has always been storytelling. Read more>>

Amy Haeussler

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago in a large dysfunctional family – which turned out to be the perfect launch into a career in comedy! Read more>>

Fatima Djelmane Rodriguez

Looking back, the throughline in my life has always been service. My mom often reminds me that I was the kid who wanted to help, organize, and show up. By high school, I knew I wanted to make a difference in my community. What I didn’t yet know was what form that would take. Read more>>

Luke Knickerbocker

Five years ago, my family and I returned from serving as foreign missionaries in Nepal, Asia. I have always been fascinated with learning languages and learning about other cultures. My passion has been to learn how to communicate the life-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard, especially in far-away lands! Read more>>

Ashley Yang

I started Ten Fourteen because it was, quite simply, just a hobby. Another craft I wanted to try. Another DIY project. Just another way to stay creative and have fun. I’ve always loved being in creative spaces creating things and trying new ideas. Read more>>

Katherine Kesey

I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Texas, West Virginia, and South Carolina, I was always drawing and painting, but it wasn’t until after college that I realized I wanted to fully commit to being a fine artist. Read more>>