Those of us who were lucky to have someone see something in us long before we saw it in ourselves know how impactful it can be. We are thrilled to highlight some of those stories and honor some of the OG heroes.
Joshua Stewart
When I was working in the pharmacy years ago my pharmacy manager, Nguyen, encouraged me to pursue photography as a career. I had just started taking photos a few months before that and had the impression that it was extremely difficult and near impossible to be a professional photographer. Read more>>
Darrell Black
My sister Lisa’s ex-husband Tyrone, he seen the potential in my very early drawings and works on paper that were only starting to develop into an art form. Tyrone, saw the enormous potential in me and my craft and felt early on that my artwork was very significant and could have a much larger and positive impact on the general public. Read more>>
Dr Chiquita Oden
I think my Grammie was the first person to see me before I saw myself. She was able to see my strength, courage, and wisdom long before I could fully recognize these qualities in myself. Read more>>
Whitney Cobb
Without a doubt, my parents. I remember my freshman year as a Biology Pre-Medicine major — and struggling hard. Being a first-generation college student from a small town, I had big dreams of becoming a physician, but those dreams started feeling like they might slip away as I struggled to keep up with the core classes. Read more>>
Kelly V
My father for sure, I believe he knew I was capable of reaching higher limits as the youngest. I was only thirteen at the time when we had that heart to heart conversation, but I never understood why he said what he said at that time. But now that I’m older I can understand why he told me the sky was the limit. Read more>>
Tonie Mcelveen
Before I chose to do art as a career path, I had no direction in life and where I wanted to go. Later on, I found motivation due to some of my friends that I had at the time such as Desiray, Parashay, Ariel, and Dustin. They all believed in me even when I didn’t quite believe in myself yet. Read more>>
