The editorial team has a special attachment to our new series, The Trailblazers: Rewriting the Narrative, because so many of us feel that media portrayals of women have been too one dimensional. Today, women are doing incredible things in all fields – from science and technology to finance, law, business, athletics and more. With the Trailblazers series, we hope to highlight and celebrate female role models, encourage more equal and just representation in the media, and help foster a more tight-knit community locally helping women find mentors, business partners, friends and more.
Below, you’ll find some incredible trailblazers from in and around East Atlanta that we hope you will check out, follow and support.
Silvia Perrotta
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I first started by dancing; I was three years old when my mom took me to my first ballet class in Academia Ballet Concierto Dominicano, and then a little later, I started some theater classes for a few years. I have always wanted to be a TV and film actress, but I didn’t got involved in that world till later in my life. Read more>>
Sekaya Harris
In college at Howard University, I was a photographer. A damn good photographer. That became my identity. After graduating, I did that for a while. I liked it, but photographing was something that I enjoyed. But I was not a photographer. Defining myself as a photographer well through high school and college, I didn’t know who I even was without that label. Read more>>
Meghan Lane
I’ve been chasing that butterfly feeling ever since but only really started focusing on acting when I left community college and attended the Stella Adler Professional Conservatory in NYC. I currently live in Brooklyn, where I’m constantly auditioning while keeping a balance of determination and patience for my future. Read more>>
Jenni D
For years, I watched artists like Drake and Kanye West, totally oblivious to the world of “female rap.” When I thought of rap music, I only thought about male rappers–and then I discovered Nicki Minaj. My entire world lit up when I came across her music, as she was everything I imagined a woman in the rap game would be. Read more>>
Daisa Crews
One morning, I woke up with the urge to invest my money into something but a lot was on my mind about what I should do. I was talking to my mom about ideas, the one that I was most interested in was hair and lashes. I began to buy vendors and test them out. I went through 4-5 hair vendors before I found the perfect vendor, the perfect vendor meaning great quality hair. Read more>>
Alexandria Peters
I always knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur at some capacity and initially, determining what my business would be about was the hard part. I ultimately decided to combine a few things that I love: helping others and cosmetics. I wanted my business to be unique, so after a lot of time spent on praying and brainstorming, incorporated elements of my personality and lifestyle. Read more>>
Leah Smith
I’ve always loved music! I have always enjoyed listening to it, and love seeing the effect it has on people. I came from a family of musicians and was introduced to the piano at a young age. I knew that I always wanted to have a career in a music-related industry. I decided to attend a Music Technology program in my senior year in High School. Read more>>
Deanna Reynolds
As a child, I would watch America’s next top model, I often dreamed that one day I would be able to go on the show. At the time, I didn’t think that I was pretty or outgoing enough to ever pursue my modeling dreams. I was the total opposite of the girls on TV, shy and self-conscious. Read more>>
Kia Lewis
I started doing hair in 1994 while is high school when cornrows were popular. I would do different designs in people’s hair and each design would be a first. That’s when I discovered I had talent. In 1995, I attended Lincoln University. I would do hair in college to make so extra cash to buy necessities and books. Read more>>
Rachel Newsome
My journey into holistic health and wellness began in 2014 after years of personal struggles with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, High Blood Pressure, Carpal Tunnel, and weight and body image issues. I became determined to find a more holistic approach to restore my health, heal my body so that it could function properly. Read more>>
Elaina Baer
I always have considered myself a creative person, but photography was not on the radar. I even took a photography class in high school, received an average grade, and never looked back. I understand that’s not the conventional path, but it was the one I took. Read more>>
