Our upbringing and its impact on our adult lives

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 Morgan | Veteran & Mental Health Professional

I was born and raised in Wyoming – the Equality State – but I will tell you that while equality is something that is thought of as being granted to everyone as a right, in Wyoming it is not just given, it is also earned. Wyoming is a rugged and desolate landscape where determination and hard work are demanded. Read more>>

Ryan Gaffney | Photographer

I am originally from New England but didn’t get into photography until I moved to South Florida. I started taking pictures in high school and I really took an interest to landscape photography with all the sunsets and water down here. Read more>>

Amanda Kelley | Author

I was actually born here in Colorado, but my family moved to Wyoming shortly after my birth where I lived the first thirty years of my life before moving back to Colorado with my husband and two sons. Read more>>

Santi Murillo | Influencer & Model

I was born and raised all throughout Wyoming! Growing up queer in Wyoming was anything but easy. I remember being bullied and belittled from a young age and not finding other people to connect with. I have always viewed myself as someone who didn’t belong, but I turned that into my greatest superpower. I loved not conforming with the crowd and standing out, and eventually, once I found own sense of style, I turned that into my own influential power. Read more>>

Jessica Hubbard | Freelance Photographer and Writer

Originally born in Southeast Iowa, most of my childhood was spent in the Midwest with a brief period of time living in my mom’s home state of Connecticut. Read more>>