Even if you are from the same neighborhood as someone else, you might still be coming from different places. Where you are from is a complicated question and it elicits complicated, but interesting and thought-provoking responses. We’ve shared some of those responses below.

Silvia De Leon | Cake Artist

I was born and raised in Mexico and moved to the U.S. in my teens. My upbringing in Mexico instilled in me strong family values, hard work ethic, and perseverance. The combination of my Mexican heritage and the experiences I’ve had in the U.S. have greatly influenced my outlook on life and have contributed to shaping my identity. Overall, my background and upbringing have provided me with a unique perspective and a strong foundation upon which I continue to build and grow Read more>>

Dixie Berger | Designer and Business Owner

Kirby and I both grew up in small Wyoming towns: Kirby in Saratoga, and I grew up in Huntley, and we both grew up on ranches. We were around cattle and had chores from an early age. My family had a dairy for a while and we had to learn how to work, we didn’t have a choice! In ag life, there is always work to do, animals don’t ever stop eating or needing milked, or having babies. One of the biggest impacts is learning that you quit when the job is done, not when the clock strikes 5 or 6 or whatever. Even when we were kids, when work started, it ended when things were done, not when we got tired. A lot of times we could be so far away from the truck, it didn’t matter if you were sick or starving, you couldn’t quit till you were back at the truck anyway. We have carried these habits over into adulthood and we really love to work. Besides learning to work at an early age, we learned the feeling of accomplishing something difficult. We are thankful that our parents gave us the opportunity and taught us how to work hard, and the value and satisfaction that comes along with that. This has helped us work through some tough situations where it would be easy to give up. We just put our heads down and work through it because that is what we were taught to do. Now, we teach our kids these same habits and values. Read more>>

Phoenix Huber | Human and Animal Rights Activist & Writer

I spent my formative years in Arizona during the 90s-2000s, surrounded by upper-middle-class privilege. However, despite the material wealth, my mental health suffered as I became acutely aware of discrimination. Growing up as a transgender girl in a time and place that wasn’t accepting, I encountered queerphobia from fellow students during middle school. Around the same time, our science class assigned us to dissect animals—squids and pigs who had been bred for slaughter. This experience opened my eyes to the societal disregard faced by both animals and individuals like myself, and it ignited a passion for change. Read more>>

Patrice Henning | Wealth Advisor and Co-Founder, The Centre of Love Foundation, Kibera Kenya

Grateful to have grown up in a military family with a keen focus on taking on responsibility at a young age, a focus on helping others and a keen focus on the importance of higher education. Read more>>

Trina C. Ragsdale | Educator and Entrepreneur

I’m from Philadelphia raised in South Jersey. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs and professionals. All 14 of my siblings have attended some level of college and are entrepreneurs. We get our fervor for business ownership spirit from my father, J. Justin Ragsdale. He owned and operated a new construction cleaning company in Philadelphia for 30 years and helped ready many of the iconic buildings that grace Philadelphia’s skyline. He’s also the founder, and curator, along with my mother, of the Lest We Forget Museum of Slavery, in which they educate and exhibit slavery artifacts shedding light on a dark and tragic period in American history. Part of that dark history includes our lineage to Black Wall Street, where white rioters destroyed black-owned businesses during the Tulsa Race massacre. It’s my father’s spirit and the indelible history of Blacks in America that molded me and gave me the audacity to pursue licensure. It takes an inordinate amount of grit and determination to venture into the cannabis space so I give gratitude to my ancestors that strengthened me and paved the way. Read more>>

Rosa Gonzalez | Canela coffee shop owner

We are a family originally from Acapulco, Mexico who came to U.S. 20 years ago. Our background help us understand how is to be an immigrant in this country and to connect with other immigrant families through our coffee shop. Read more>>