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.

Sara Vizcarra | Dentist, mother, mentor, educator, entrepreneur

I was born and raised in El Salvador and came to the USA at the fragil ge of 16. I entered High School without knowing any English or really knowing the American culture. While I had to work hard at keeping up with my school grades and duties I also helped (like any other immigrant children ) my mother while working at sweat shops in LA so she could pay the rent and bills. I have to say that the emotional and physical struggles as a teenager and having to then fend for myself in College and paying my way through my college and dental school education has definitely shown me that hard work pays off and you never give up when you have a dream and a vision you GO FOR IT. Read more>>

Lisa Foster | Owner and Lead Planner

I am originally from New Jersey. I was brought up in a very tight knit community. I was enrolled in Catholic School all the way through High School. This had a very profound effect on me. We had a very advanced and strict curriculum. This instilled discipline in me from a very young age. I was always very determined and a very hard worker and these attributes helped me build the foundation of owning my own business and pushing Stylish Events by Lisa to grow. Read more>>

Tony Taafe | Business Owner and Headshot Photographer

I’m from Liverpool in the UK – as most American’s see it, the home of The Beatles! Haha. It’s a blue collar city, very working class. Not the quaint English towns you see in the movies but a large city that i’m proud to come from. Coming from a background where resources are scarce can be tough as a kid, but also a perfect training ground for life, in retrospect; i’m sure a lot of people will now what I mean when I say that. Growing up I never in a million years thought I could own my own business, it just was never something people who I knew did. When I realized it was a possibility, I grabbed onto it by both hands, both feet, and anything else I could grab onto it with. Read more>>

Koya Kouture | Content Creator & Influencer

Hey ya’ll! I am Koya Kouture, a local content creator and nano influencer. My creative journey kicked off just over a year ago, and along the way, I’ve not only honed my artistic skills but also created a dynamic space for women in our local community, “Kouture Connections.” You can catch me around the valley vlogging the best brunch spots, cool rooftop bars, fancy dinner locations, valley staycation gems, local trending & annual events/activities, and so more. What makes my work unique is not just my ability to visually story tell in my content but my commitment to making sure people who look like me are also represented in the community. Read more>>

Maritza Yamile Roberts-Padilla | Maritza Yamile Roberts Padilla | Environmental Scientist, Voting Rights Activist & Story Teller

I am from Puerto Peñasco, Sonora. I grew up there with my Mamá, Dad, and younger sibling. It is a small, rural fishing town and a tourism hotspot hidden away in between the Altar Desert and Sea of Cortez. Growing up here, the educational opportunities were limited. I was learning arithmetic in eighth grade, my peers and I lagged behind the Mexican standard of education all through out elementary and middle school. Five years ago, I moved to the United States in pursuit of a better education. The stagnant curriculums that accompanied me through out my childhood was the first institutional barrier I became aware off. Read more>>

Susan Woods | artist/sculptor/maker-designer

I grew up in a small town in NH, because my father bought a business there and moved us from our small town in Upstate NY. My father was 3rd generation in a milling company that had a fire, and he decided to move the family. Luckily, my father’s parents were also classical musicians- his mother playing the piano and organ, and his father the violin. I loved the piano at a very young age, and was only allowed to take lessons when turning nearly 5. My lessons were of the classical, classical kind, meaning that there were all kinds of finger training and learning of scales, arpeggios, music writing and classical music. Read more>>