There are so many factors that affect how our lives turn out, but one of the most interesting is how our backgrounds give us unique strengths and perspectives that affect who we are as adults. We asked rising stars from the community to tell us about their background and upbringing and how they feel it’s impacted who they are today.

Tiffany Yates | Photographer

I’m from a small town in Kentucky. To expand on how small it truly is, the population is about 3,000. My upbringing is a huge factor of who I am today. My family has always been so supportive even at a younger age. I come from a line of business owners, so it was no surprise when I started a business fresh out of high school. My grandfather and dad were in the car business and my uncle in the floral business. Read more>>

Glynis Albright | Business Owner/Culinary Artist

I am originally from New Orleans, LA. I come from a background of preparing and eating good food. While in college, because I loved to cook, most of my friends knew that I’d have a delicious meal prepared if they visited my apartment to study or just hang out. I was raised to use only the best ingredients, season well without relying on sugar and salt for flavor, and to feed everyone who visited. Read more>>

Shannon Player-Timmons | Fiber Artist, Yarn Dyer at Yarn Baby

I spent the majority of my childhood in rural Utah. I mean…RURAL Utah. My town had about 550-600 people in it at the time. Now it has even less. If I took a walk around the block, it was 1.5 miles around. There were areas of my backyard where you couldn’t see another house or any manmade structure for as far as your eyes could see. There wasn’t a single stoplight in the entire county – and the county, geographically, was pretty large. I grew up in the sticks. Read more>>

Caleb Guilliams | CEO & Author

I grew up in Central Wisconsin and am the oldest of 6 kids. I have always been fascinated with how money works. I got a job at a community bank in Central Wisconsin at the age of 17. By 19 years old I took over the entire investment department and began to see firsthand how the majority of Americans were financially failing despite “professional” financial advising. After 3 years of traveling the country and being mentored by the most successful financial minds, I became passionate about helping people find a better way to build wealth. I left my prestigious position at the bank, Read more>>

Destiny Nunez | Photographer

I grew up all over Denver, but South Denver made the biggest impact on me. I was what my friend called ‘Just a South Denver Kid’. The Harvey Park area, to be specific, molded me into who I am today. Moving into the Harvey Park area with my family is what started it all, my parents had just bought our new home and the neighborhood was new to all of us. Soon after I was introduced to the muse of it all, Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy. Read more>>

Fatima Alhexia Boylen | Commercial and Residencial Cleaning

Before getting married, I lived in Guatemala, where my family eats black beans with warm corn “thick” tortillas, dance marimba and salsa, hug big, laugh loud, have coffee for dinner and unannounced visitors are cheerfully welcomed! I was raised with family rules like: be respectful to others, be kind, smile, study hard, do your best, help senior citizens, enjoy life, be grateful, live in the present, people are more important than things, do not take what is not yours, don’t be attached to material things or money, instead give it to the ones that need it more than you, say hi and good by with the longest, strongest hugs, AND “lo ponemos en las manos de Dios” (it’s in God’s hands) for whatever goal is being planned. Read more>>