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.
Dmitrii Chernikov
What I’m most proud of is the impact I have on my clients. It’s not just about technique; it’s about transformation—helping each person become stronger, more confident, and more disciplined. My goal is not just to train fighters but to build resilient, motivated individuals who carry that strength beyond the gym. Read more>>
Mel Douglas & Drew Muse
The Black Women’s Yoga Collective (BWYC) is dedicated to increasing wellness accessibility for people of color, especially Black people, and creating more representation for Black women in the wellness industry. We believe that everyone deserves equal access to wellness and the opportunity to exist comfortably in wellness spaces. In order to be truly impactful, our wellness practices and spaces must be intersectional. Read more>>
David Ortiz
She told me that it was something I should continue doing to avoid getting myself in trouble. I also had the help of a best friend of mine from highschool Saul Varo. He Helped Distribute, Produce, And Made me the person I am today. He has seen me go through numerous stages of my life/career. From Suicide to Being Poor to Being Finally Happy. These people changed my life for the better and couldn’t ask for such a blessing relationship from both of them. Music and them helped me realized it was a gift to be alive and that the situations i endured was the door to expressing myself through music. Read more>>
Stacey Rankin
After college, I fell into a deep depression. The life path I had worked so hard to build didn’t feel like my own. I felt lost, disconnected, and unsure of where to turn. But that dark period became my greatest catalyst. It forced me to seek healing for myself, to dive into the world of holistic wellness with more than just curiosity—with need. I explored energy work, breathwork, and the power of crystals in a way I never had before. And as I healed, I began to realize that this was my true calling. Read more>>
Alex Hawkins
I practiced taking portraits of my friends in high school and worked for a cat adoption agency taking their profile photos of their adoptable cats. My first wedding I took on as a leap of faith. I wasn’t sure if I was cut out for it but I knew that I’d never know if I didn’t try. I threw up in the courthouse bathroom from nerves but went out there and gave it my best. After that one afternoon, I knew that weddings was my calling and I’ve never turned back! I’ve fallen in love with capturing people falling in love. Read more>>
Angel Undisputed
This gradually allowed us to have doors opened up and soon we hit the road with out of town shows. Undisputed World Champions has always been in a constant pace of working. I release new music fairly often and always pop up in a new city to perform. I’ve made it easy to find our songs and content. It has been a very fulfilling experience. I find joy in the journey and the things that get done for the project. I had this desire in my mind to go out there and show my interpretation of Ska and I am truly happy that others are enjoying it. Read more>>
Darnell Brown
Hard work and perseverance have been crucial. I’ve consistently worked with people who shared my drive, collaborated with those who pushed me to elevate my craft, and refused to let setbacks or “no’s” stop me from pursuing my goals. Along the way, I’ve faced criticism, even from people I was closest to, but I turned those negative words into motivation. Today, I am where I am because I never gave up and stayed focused on my vision. Read more>>
Breanna Laracuente
Honestly being the first person in my family was the top struggle I faced. The first one running a business, starting and building a brand is like a rollercoaster ride. We hear it all the time, if it was easy, everyone would do it! Some other struggles I faced in the beginning was learning to be disciplined. To be consistent. To give myself grace for all the hard work I put into all my projects. I’ve found that the key this is keeping the faith even when times are tough.I learned to enjoy the ride, because just like a roller coaster that goes down, it will come back up! Read more>>
Yasmilet García
I remember sitting with that reality and thinking about the kind of parent I wanted to be. I imagined the expectations I’d have for my daughter, how I’d want her to be better, stronger, and more grounded than I was. One particular scenario stayed with me: What if one day she acted out at school—just like I did—and in a moment of frustration told me, “You can’t tell me what to do… you didn’t even finish high school.” That thought shifted something in me. From that point on, higher education became my mission. Read more>>
Alba Gamboa
My love for photography and creating started in my early twenties. I started going to college and contemplating a creative output to focus on and decided on photography. I fell more in love with it while working in the darkroom and creating based off projects. Over the years, I took classes off and on, but I always made sure to keep my creative eye on while out and about. Whether that was taking photos on my Nikon or on my iPhone (which I do mostly at this time). At the moment I’m still working on taking classes, because there’s always something new to learn. And have also worked with other photographers by assisting them and leaning more hands on. Read more>>
Cindy Tapia And Ernesto Delgado
When we started CASA PETALOS, we stepped into an industry where we didn’t see many people who looked like us. We had no role models, no blueprint, no one we could truly relate to because of our background and identity. That feeling of being outsiders was real—but it also became part of our drive. We wanted to create space. To show that there’s room for our stories, our culture, and our point of view in the world of design. Read more>>
Biggest Little Zine Fair
Mostly! The biggest challenges have come from the overwhelming wave of support and participation. We were originally excited to feature 20 zine makers in one space— now we’ve featured hundreds! We thought 40 friends might come by to browse and hang out, but Long Beach has shown up by the hundreds, every single time. There’s been a lot of growth and learning along the way, and we’ve felt deeply honored and supported by the makers and patrons who’ve been so patient with our learning curves. Read more>>
Brandon Baldwin
2wice Around The Globe is my baby. We specialize in wellness, creativity and sustainability from a local to global level. We are known for being consistent no matter where we are in the planet. Most proud to have collaborated with others from different cities, states, countries. Read more>>
Kenisha Armand
With determination and passion fueling my vision, I launched The Maid Squad in 2020, dedicating countless hours to building the business from the ground up. As a family-owned company, we take immense pride in our work, ensuring that all our cleaners undergo thorough background checks and meet the highest cleaning standards. Our mission is to provide exceptional service to our customers and build lasting relationships, ensuring they feel valued and satisfied with our work. Read more>>
Lashanna Johnson
One of the biggest lessons? Hidden costs add up fast. Between insurance, vendor events, and testing materials, expenses can quickly eat into profits if pricing isn’t strategic. And speaking of testing—I can’t even count how many vessels, wicks, and fragrance oils I went through before finalizing the perfect combination. But every trial was worth it. The process was demanding, but it pushed me to create a product I’m truly proud of. In the end, all those errors didn’t just lead to improvement—they birthed excellence. Read more>>
