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.

Blake Treadway | Athlete, Artist, Adventurer, and Sales Rep

I grew up in the Ozark mountains of Northwest Arkansas. I spent my youth playing in the woods, building forts, playing in creeks, catching lightning bugs, and listening to the cicadas buzz away the humid evenings. I was always infatuated with birds, and I believe it’s this early life as a naturalist that led me to begin painting birds when I picked up the watercolors. One of the first birds I painted was a Belted Kingfisher. That bird has been my friend on countless days fishing on lakes and rivers across the country. Read more>>

DEZ B. | Graphic Designer & Art Director

I was originally born in Jackson, TN but raised in St. Louis, Mo. Although I am currently based out of Nashville, TN, St. Louis has and will forever be influential on my upbringing. The culture, the art, the music, and the history of St. Louis enabled me to expand my perspectives on creative design and thinking and allowed me to push past my comfort zones to become more expressive in my art. Read more>>

Rubina A Khan | Independent Journalist & Photographer

I am from India and I was raised by my maternal grandparents, Dr Mohammad Zaheer and Anwar Zaheer, Both of them were extremely accomplished individuals with exemplary academic backgrounds. I owe my lettered curiosity and artistic discernments to my Nana and Nani, sharpened further at prep school and at Harvard University, USA. I have only known inestimable love from them, through them and for them. Read more>>

Jargon Dee | Music Artist | Talent Manager

I’m from Chicago, IL. In entertainment, the Chi is a place where you can really thrive if you have the right network. Coming up, I was heavily involved in music- every open mic or rap battle, I was there. Those were the fun years, where you could just grab the mic and light up a crowd. Being Asian, there was only a handful of us in the hip hop world and even fewer in my city. So naturally, the second I stepped in front of any crowd, I stuck out from the rest. Read more>>

Michelle Williams | Cake Lady & Cake Therapist

I am from the southside of Chicago, I was raised by my grandmother mostly due to my mom being on drugs and not there much. I struggled a lot as a youth and teen with depression and it carried over into my adult life. I’ve suffered from depression and anxiety for years having had my first mental breakdown when I was 17 years of age. I have been in mental hospitals on serval medications but nothing helped me relieve my stress and anxiety like baking. Read more>>