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 Norcross that we hope you will check out, follow and support.
Dr. Isha Metzger
As my mother likes to say before spilling tea, my parents fell in love in Freetown, Sierra Leone and moved to the United States in 1981 to start their life as newlyweds. My mom somehow managed to get her degree in computer science while supporting my dad through law school, birthing a set of twins, and then having a rambunctious follow-up baby (me) a mere 18 months later. Read more>>
Sophia Arzu
Growing up as a first-generation American has given me a different perspective on life and plays a part in how I interact with others. Since I am black, people didn’t understand how I could speak Spanish but didn’t have the features of Sofia Vergara. I quickly realized that the diversity of the Latin American community wasn’t represented accurately in the media. Thus resulting in why people questioned my identity. Read more>>
Madie Ice
As a junior in high school, I decided to do dual enrollment through my local college. I’ve had a passion for photography since I was young but I never wanted to go to college for it, I thought it wasn’t necessary, funny how that aged. Throughout my junior and senior year, I was enrolled in the commercial photography program at Gwinnett Technical College in Lawrenceville, GA. Read more>>
Maria Alejandra Bastidas
Becoming vice president of digital content for MundoHispanico has been a milestone in my career. What seemed like a dream 20 years ago when I first arrived in Atlanta from my native Venezuela is now a reality. As many immigrants, I came to this country looking for the American Dream only to realize more. Read more>>
Florence Fasan
I founded the Miss Elegance Georgia Pageant from a passion to inspire and empower young teens. The pageant is designed to promote poise, integrity, character, community involvement and creative accomplishment in teen girls. I am a Certified Etiquette & Image Consultant and I took a special interest in teenage girls in my determination. Read more>>
Schelle Purcell
You talk about an obstacle. I’m a dream chasers Jesus, what’chu mean sit down? He meant ALL THE WAY DOWN. I fought hard to get back from what I thought was one of the darkest places on earth for ME. I KNOW I had a praying Mother though in that situation. I learned a lot about people who SAID they cared and loved me. Read more>>
LaToya Turner
I took some time off to really meditate and manifest my vision on becoming a Doula. I then became really concerned with the increase in the pregnancy mortality rate here in the United States. It was then that I knew it was my time to “step into my calling”. Read more>>
Brittany Chunn
Since the beginning of my existence, art and design have been a part of my life. I have always been interested in the adornment and embellishment of everything and wanted to be surrounded by objects that I find beautiful. My first encounter with design was at eight years old. Read more>>
Brandy Anderson
Given that my mother was just a teenager and struggling with addiction herself when she became pregnant with me and I never really had a chance to begin with. My mother lived in a girl’s home and she got pregnant with me by a statutory rape type situation. If she would have had her way, she would have had an abortion with me. Read more>>
Gabrielle Parris
I always knew from a young age that I would take up a career in the arts. Growing up, my parents weren’t the traditional Caribbean parents that most people would imagine. They appreciated art deeply and always encouraged me to follow my dream of one day landing a job that involved just that. Read more>>
Madison Koegel
I was actually born in LA and moved to Atlanta in 2006. I remember in middle school always getting so upset every semester I wasn’t assigned an art class. Finally, in high school, I got to choose 2D and 3D art — I was ecstatic! I moved to the advanced art classes but it wasn’t until I graduated high school that I found my passion for a different art form: hair and makeup. Read more>>
Shelby Cerniglia
I’ve been a lover of storytelling ever since I was a child. I turned that love of telling stories into a passion, writing short stories throughout my high school career. I then went on to the University of Georgia and graduated in 2018 with two degrees, one in English and the other in Entertainment Media Studies. Read more>>
