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.

Montel Thompson | Youtuber, Podcaster, Streamer and Content Creator

I was born in Fort Knox, KY but raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, the oldest of 5 siblings. My mother was a nurse all of my life and my dad is a Vietnam veteran but worked in the auto industry until his retirement. My parents and family member knew from a young age that I was a blerd due to my love for comics. I read and collected comics since I was 9 years old. The love and support I received from my for my passions and loves encouraged me all through school, navy life up to today. This support also increased my curiosity into other nerdy genres that I didn’t know existed, including Dungeons & Dragons. In fully accepting being a blerd, I learned acceptance and empathy towards others, like myself, who were different and didn’t fit into societal standards Read more>>

Billy McKay | Artist

I’m from Ohio…not too far from the Cleveland area. We were kids back in the days before the internet. 80’s kids to be exact. Since we didn’t have the internet, every piece of art we came across burned itself deep into our brains. We weren’t bombarded by constant stimulation. We only saw things a little bit at a time. We soaked up things like, Cold Cereal mascots, Stand-Up Arcade games, MTV, Blockbuster Video Stores, BMX bike trails, boom boxes, Mad Magazines, comic books, Toys R Us stores, Shopping Malls, etc… Read more>>

Tony Taylor | Car Detailing Services

I am from a small town in Ohio, Tipp City. From a young age my father raised our family on boating and showed me early on how to clean and take care of our family boats and cars too make them last a long time for all of us to enjoy! I also work as a mail carrier at the United Stated postal service and seeing all my mom has sacrificed for her family as I’ve grown up has kept me motivated to take care of my own young family. Read more>>

Marcos Gomez | Director, Student Financial Services – Owens Community College

I am from the Toledo area in Ohio, born and raised, and I currently work as the Director of Student Financial Services at Owens Community College. My upbringing and my early life led me to my current career in higher education. My maternal grandmother was an elementary school teacher, and she began instilling the value of education into me, my siblings, and my cousins very early on. Since I grew up in a single-parent household, my mother sent me to the elementary school where my grandmother taught – this helped to assure I had both before- and after-school care. I recognized that it was a privilege for me to have this built-in care (most kids did not have this), and I learned a lot by observing how hard my grandmother and her teaching colleagues worked for their students outside of teaching hours. Read more>>

Dion Hatcher | Film writer/producer and music composer

I’m originally from Southwest Detroit, in my early teens I moved to North Royalton Ohio which was two different worlds. It gave me an opportunity to see the world from a different angle. I didn’t have to speculate on how the other side lived because I seen it up close Read more>>

De Shawn Montel Fowler | DJ/Producer/Dancer/Visual Artist

Im originally from lorain, Ohio. Growing up here was easy especially with the downfall of jobs and poverty rising at an extreme rate. We struggled growing up barely having money for food and watching my mom work 60 a week at the hair salon to provide for us only meant she wasn’t around as much as we’d hope for at the time but through all of it she found time to still provide for us and keep us in many art programs that she can find. My brother and I grew up in dance classes together. Starting with jazz & Tap and eventually taking on ballet, contemporary, modern, and hip hop dance styles. It was at the moment that I finally felt free and I wasn’t acting out anymore. Read more>>

Pengyifan Lou | Producer, Casting Director & Filmmaker

I was born and raised in Shanghai, China. As people who moved to Shanghai to start their businesses, my parents were always busy, so they encouraged me to explore the city and find what I like. Shanghai is an artistic city full of events, and I found my interests in books, movies, musicals, and traveling. During my adventures, I grew up as an independent person who loved storytelling. With the support of my parents, I chose filmmaking as my major when I went to college. I went to England for an exchange program and then came to the United States to explore more about films. Filmmaking has become my career; now, I work as a producer and casting director in film, TV, and commercials. Read more>>