Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of Sansy Springs’ gems below.
Jessica Willis
One of those schools at the time, was called St. Elmo, a school for the gifted which I would attend on Mondays and I attended a regular school Tuesday- Friday. As my time in Elementary school came to an end, one day a black man showed up at my house. His name was Kevin Scott and he was the principal of East Columbus Magnet Academy. Read More>>
Akiko Ando
My name is Akiko Ando, and I am an anesthesiologist specializing in pediatric anesthesia. I was born and raised in Japan, where my later passion for becoming a global health ambassador grew. I spent the majority of my childhood in a hospital, surrounded by doctors and nurses. While my time spent in the hospital wasn’t necessarily an ideal way to spend my childhood, I also understood how much of a blessing it was to receive the care that I did. Read More>>
Stephanie Allen
I have always been interested in photography. More so, capturing moments, moments in time. Growing up, I always had a disposable camera on hand. My family would travel every summer and I remember the anticipation of waiting for the film to be developed at the end of our vacation waiting to see our family memories. In college, I had progressed to the digital camera, and I was always the one snapping away nights out with friends. Read More>>
Renee Rogers
I have always had one goal in life – to make a positive impact on the world around me. I accomplished this goal by teaching in the Dawson County School System for 33 years. I was honored to be named Teacher of the Year in 1997 and again in 2018. I served as the Dawson County Teacher of the Year from 2019 – 2022. During my time in the classroom, I always strove to make each classroom as warm and welcoming as possible. Read More>>
Greg Ellis
I became a concert lighting designer when I decided to drop out of college and go back to my hometown, Oneonta NY. There, I began working with some childhood friends whose band was making a little noise in the region. For a few years, we would travel around the northeast hitting every college town we could trying to chase the rock n roll dream. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and I made my way to New Haven, CT. Read More>>
Justin Ball
Justin Ball is an accomplished producer, educator, director, and theatre manager with over 20 years of leadership experience. He has produced shows and events for the Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, the Writers Theatre, Penguin/Random House, and Google. For over a decade, Justin taught theatre management and directing at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Read More>>
Norman Golden
So, I got my start in acting at the age of six and was inspired by watching a series of family-oriented sitcoms in the early 90s. I would watch the kids on those shows and would think: “That must be so much fun”. Read More>>
Syreeta Duncan
In 2017, I was presented with an opportunity to own my own semi-professional basketball team. At the time, I was working for a small private school closely associated with all sports, and I saw firsthand the athletes that had skills and others that didn’t but enjoy the sport to stay out of trouble. Read More>>
Jacob S
Growing up, I lived in four different places before becoming a cyborg. I was born and raised in the Four Corners region, surrounded by balloon fiestas, chili, mountains, snow, and desert. Across multiple climates, I formed various friendships. Read More>>
Rebecca Trussell
I am a clinical yoga therapist certified through the International Association of Yoga Therapists. I hold a master’s degree in yoga therapy through the Maryland University of Integrative Health and am a registered yoga teacher and continuing education provider through Yoga Alliance. Read More>>
Ronald Sullivan
I am an artist creating sculptures using primarily wood and stone. I was born in Guyana and lived in England before migrating to the United States in my teens. I currently reside in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Read More>>
Omnia Abdel Gawad
When I was a teenager, a teacher I looked up to once told me, “Schools and colleges teach you how to learn, but new experiences teach you what you need to learn!”. That one comment resonated with me and drove me to seek new experiences and view challenges as an opportunity to learn. So, I went from beginning my professional career as a software engineer and transitioned to a project manager then symposium manager to process improvement professional and then an international management consultant. The underlying theme tying all these experiences was a deep desire to make a contribution, solve a challenge or support people on their personal and professional journeys. Read more>>
Lori Spencer
I was an unhappy special education teacher working for public schools because I wasn’t allowed to help children. There was so much paperwork required from me that I had no time left for students. Between Georgia Alternate Assessment, IEPs, and the same paperwork required that the regular education teachers needed to complete, there was just no time left in the day. Read more>>
Eric Koepp
My family was struggling with a hereditary dairy allergy that was causing anaphylaxis in one of our children with just the slightest exposure. A trip to the emergency room was guaranteed. In 2015 I read an article that “a probiotic formula reverses cow’s milk allergies by changing gut bacteria of infants.” I was blown away by the science in the article so I decided I would start ordering some probiotics myself. Read more>>
Rona Simmons
Much has transpired in the five years since speaking with VoyageATL in 2018. Back then, I wrote that my path forward was clear, I had decided to write. Now, I think I see this more as VoyageATL sees it… a true voyage. I hadn’t “arrived” at my chosen second career, I had only begun the journey. I had seen three novels published and on the bookshelves and the internet and I had embarked on another work focusing on one of the pivotal events of our times, World War II. Read more>>
Karen Studley
Eighteen years ago, after a cross-country move to Georgia from Arizona, I had to quit my corporate work in Leadership Development Training and re-acclimate to a new life here. At the time, I was a mom to two boys and pregnant with my first daughter and unsure how I was going to manage a work-life balance with our growing family and a traditional office job. At the time, I must have had a few unexpected free minutes to myself because I took the time to read a book titled, “How Not to Come Home from Work Exhausted.” Read more>>
Tina McCoy-Mitchell
Well, I got started as an actor back in high school. My teacher at the time was a huge Broadway fan and wanted our school to start a drama program. We did High School Musical first. Haha. Years later, I went to Ole Miss to study theatre where I met my partner Kaleb Mitchell. We started out just shooting silly shorts in his apartment. Then I moved to Atlanta in 2015 to start my acting career and he moved here shortly after to start his. Of course, we picked back up with shooting short skits with our friends here. Read more>>
