From a small agricultural town in Southern California to the big city of Los Angeles, Jasmin Atiles is a UCLA alumni, overcoming the odds of what it means to be a Latina in the entertainment industry. Over the past 5 years, she has gone through many ups and downs from completely switching her intended career path and being unemployed, to now working for one of the largest entertainment companies. She had learned that regardless of how many obstacles come in ones way, you must always keep the spark that drives you alive.

Intro: 0:00 

Where you grew up?: 0:25 

What was it like growing up in a small town?: 1:17 

Was I prepared enough in high school for college?: 5:20 

From small high school to public university: 7:48 

What was the conversation like changing majors? What did her parents want her to do?: 11:13 

Summer program at Sussex: 16:11 

Transition from south campus major to north campus major?: 24:19 

How did the attitude change affect you after your major switch? : 28:18 

Community of people and activities outside of her work that helped her feel good: 33:11 

Balance being in a rigorous major then transitioning? Work experience in college?: 35:38 

Interviewing/working for Nike: 40:06 

Postgrad struggle. Transitioning after Nike. Starting an internship. Internship lead to a job.: 44:15 

What did that mean to you when you finally broke through?: 57:06 

What would you say to your thirteen-year-old self?: 1:04:46

Joy Erika Diwa is an educator and life coach who specializes in supporting Black, Indigenous and Womxn of Color build self-confidence, define their purpose, and find their inner joy. She finds passion in learning about the stories of people in the community and helping those who want to overcome obstacles to be better than they were yesterday. Joy holds a B.A. in English from UCLA and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from USD. She can be best contacted on instagram @bemyownjoy or email at [email protected]  

Joy holds a B.A. in English from UCLA and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from USD.

Intro: 0:00 

Where you come from? Where you grew up and navigating through that. 0:40 

Upward bound program helping alleviate college application fees. What resources were available to you? (College prep courses/AP courses): 3:12 

What is the adjustment going from student, to becoming a peer of your former teacher?: 5:20 

Getting accepted into college. How did you narrow it down to your school of choice?: 9:11 

Being a north campus major at UCLA. What was that like?: 13:49 

What was life like outside of the classroom in college?: 16:43 

Time management balancing all commitments like?: 17:46 

What was the balance like with doing things for yourself and then knowing when to pull back?: 22:09 

The importance of being in the moment.: 27:08 

Postgrad. Grad school. What comes to mind?: 30:04 

Pros and cons of going to grad school? What can this do for my career?: 34:24 

The investment of going to college and what that leap of faith was like?: 37:53 

What was the transition of living on your own to moving back home like?: 40:25 

What was the support system like at home?: 42:34 

Non stop schedule ultimately leading to your next stop in your journey.: 46:55 

Decision to pursue and become a Life Coach.: 48:32 

Where to find Joy for her Life Coaching services!: 51:35 

Sometimes a teacher, always a student. How has that mentality helped you grow?: 54:09 

What would you share with a thirteen-year-old self?: 56:49

Nico DeJesus is a professional singer, dancer, and actor that was most recently the Assistant Dance Captain and swing at "Pretty Woman the Musical" on Broadway at the Nederlander theater! He can also be seen on film in "Disney's Newsies the Broadway Musical" playing the role of Romeo. While living in Los Angeles, Nico danced on Disney Channel's "Shake it Up" and "That's so Raven." He can also be seen on MTV's "Awkward" where he played the role of Henry. Nico was a featured performer on Jay-Z’s “H to the Izzo” music video where he can be seen rapping along side Jay-Z. He also danced on numerous commercials for Barbie, Warner Bros.

Intro: 0:00 

How you got into dance and how that love first started?: 0:21 

What did your dance training consist of initially?: 2:27 

What was it like being a young male in the dance space?: 4:06 

What was your support system like at home?: 6:38 

How did your experience at a Performing Arts school help you moving forward?: 9:13 

Mr. Robinson's impact on you as a dancer and as a man.: 11:55 

Decision to pursue higher education and dance.: 14:27 

Deciding between UCLA and UArts for college. Dream school or full ride scholarship?: 18:24 

Work life balance? Were you able to go on dance auditions during college?: 21:05 

Dance studio built at home. What did that resource being readily available do for you?: 23:04 

Booking a job with Disney Live after postgrad. What was that transition like?: 25:25 

The difficulty an artist faces in between jobs.: 29:49 

What you learned from Kumon and how that enhanced your work ethic?: 32:48 

Putting in the work to get to where you are.: 36:47 

Transitioning and being in New York.: 40:26 

What was it like being a Newsie? How did Newsies prepare you for future work?: 47:48 

What have you been up to during the pandemic?: 52:20 

What would you say to your thirteen-year -old self?: 55:54

Before moving to California, Shirley grew up most of her life in Virginia. Not long after graduating college at Virginia Tech with an engineering degree, she embarked on a journey out west to further her career. Her upbringing and experiences has taught her the importance of personal growth, independence and self-trust.

Intro: 0:00 

Moving from the East coast to West coast. What was that transition like?: 0:27 

Pros and cons, East versus West coast.: 6:11 

What was transportation like in Virginia Beach?: 10:21 

What was your undergrad experience like?: 12:58 

Getting accepted into your dream school!: 17:21 

Architecture. Mechanical engineering. Civil engineering.: 21:54 

What was it like being a Woman in a male dominant major?: 24:47 

What did dance teach you that is applicable today?: 29:04 

Your family's influence on your career choice and sustainability.: 34:39 

Recognizing your strengths and where you aren't as strong.: 40:03 

What are you currently doing right now? Future plans?: 42:44 

What would you say to your thirteen-year-old self?: 46:35 

Parting words.: 50:17

I'm a storyteller for myself and others, a maker by way of the Creator, and a humanist devoted to pursuits that maximize our collective well-being. My experience spans growth-stage startups, mature SaaS businesses, non-profits, and millennial facing brands in the customer experience, crypto, eComm, and gov-tech spaces. I'm also the co-founder of UKOO Studios, an extensive study of culture - and those who shape it - expressed in textile form.  

UCLA B.A. Sociology USC M.S. Integrated Design, Business, and Technology

Intro: 0:00 

Introduction to Mike's involvements at UCLA and how he navigated through them.: 0:28 

Dedicating and pursuing a major that Mike is passionate about.: 2:15 

Finding organized dance at UCLA.: 5:45 

Social psychology professor asking Mike to participate in research.: 8:46 

What was the support system like at home and how did that shape you?: 11:17 

Mike and his family emigrating from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the U.S.: 12:29 

Mom emphasizing education to her sons. Presented with a choice and a new life to seize whatever opportunities they could.: 15:34 

Immediate postgrad life. Looking for clarity. Moving back home to the Bay.: 19:00 

Comparison is a thief of joy.: 25:27 

Moving back to LA and reestablishing footing in the city.: 31:00 

Channeling creative energy towards fashion and clothing. Co creating Ukoo.Studios.: 35:15 

The research and inspiration that went into creating Ukoo.Studios.: 44:11 

Upcoming collection for Ukoo.Studios?: 48:39 

Finishing first semester of grad school.: 50:40 

What would you say to your thirteen year old self?: 56:10 

Words of wisdom.: 1:00:15

Jason began his dance life in 2005 at San Marcos High School by joining their All-Male dance team. After graduating in 2007, he then found himself being emerged in San Diego’s dance community by joining the All Male junior team, "Flipside" eventually becoming a member of, "Formality" until the spring of 2010.  In the summer of 2010, he became a member of Choreo Cookies. He hopes to inspire and motivate the younger generation as his idols did the same for him. Being on Cookies, he took upon the role as their Creative Designer for Social Media, Apparel, & their eCommerce store. In late 2014, Jason was promoted to Co-Director alongside Carlo Darang and Christopher Martin and has led the team to present day.  Jason graduated from Coleman University with an Associates Degree in Science for Computer Graphic Design. He has now a Full-Time Visual Designer at Brand Value Accelerator.

Intro: 0:00 

Being a Filipino artist. How did you begin your journey as an artist?: 0:59 

Pursuing graphic design as a career? What was that conversation like with you family?: 4:33 

Majoring in graphic design. Experiences from college and how that has impacted you in your profession today?: 8:42 

Time-lining his graphic design career.: 14:56 

How has being a working artist during Covid-19 been?: 20:49 

Kobe's passing: 26:34 

How you found out and your initial reaction?: 31:00 

Your experiences in leadership. Your style of leadership.: 34:30 

The influence of previous directors and experiences on Jason.: 42:12 

Impact of a strong support system and how that influenced Jason as a person.: 47:51 

What would you tell your thirteen-year-old self?: 53:41

Here Anissa, Louie and I discuss the current climate of how the Covid-19 is affecting them in the workplace as well as at home. From the perspective of two nurses here is our conversation.

Anissa Garcia was born and raised in the Bay Area and is currently rooted in Los Angeles. She attended UCLA and graduated with her BSN in 2017. She's worked as a registered nurse for about 2 years in the Greater LA area and hopes to further her education in the future. Anissa enjoys dancing (specifically hip hop and Filipino culture dances), exploring new places (beaches, hiking trails, and food spots), and traveling (favorite place so far has been to Spain).   Louie is a graduate from UCLA School of Nursing, class of 2016. Since graduation she has worked as an adult Medical/Surgical RN for 2 years and a NICU RN for 2 years. Working with both adult and neonatal populations has exposed her to many types of patients’ diagnoses and care plans. Her favorite thing about being a nurse right now is knowing that she is playing a big part in the start of someone’s life. After each successful shift, it gives her great joy knowing that her patients are able to live another day and hopefully many more healthy days in their childhood and eventually adulthood. Nursing has played a big role in her life - being a patient advocate for the most vulnerable people will always be one of her greatest passions.

Intro: 0:00 

What has the daily work life been for you two so far during the pandemic?: 0:26 

Dealing with low supplies at a hospital.: 2:48 

Adjusting in the hospital with patients that have COVID-19.: 7:24 

Process of transitioning from working at the hospital to going back home.: 11:29 

Challenge of battling COVID on the front lines.: 15:11 

Stay at home order extended?: 18:47 

COVID potentially spilling into Flu season?: 21:12 

COVID myths and misconceptions.: 23:14 

What got you two into nursing?: 26:13 

What specifically about nursing stood out over other careers in healthcare?: 31:21 

What would you say to your thirteen-year-old self?: 35:16 

What is the biggest myth about nursing?: 39:56 

Most memorable patient/incident in the workplace?: 41:37 

Favorite part of being a nurse? What makes it all worth it?: 44:10

Here Anthony and I delve into how he first became inspired to be an actor, the climate of theatre in Seattle as well as being an African American male in our current day.  

Anthony Simmons is a 27 year old graduate from Cornish College of the Arts (2015). He was born and raised in San Diego California where he began acting at the age of 7. Currently living in Seattle Washington, he was just recently seen onstage for Sound Theatre Company’s world premiere play “Reparations”. Anthony thanks his close friends and family for their love and support thru his artistic journey.

Intro: 0:00 

How you started acting?: 0:25 

Harnessing your acting ability at a Performing Arts School.: 2:00 

What made you choose Cornish in Seattle to pursue acting?: 3:50 

How does the presence of many theatres in the city affect the theater community?: 7:09 

First show post grad.: 8:18 

Did you ever think about moving back home?: 10:36 

What was the first year of postgrad like?: 13:45 

What is the work life balance of an artist like?: 16:52 

Projects that were postponed due to Covid.: 18:37 

Taking a mental health break.: 20:06 

Anthony describes originating two roles in a play.: 23:22 

What did taking a mental health break do for you moving forward?: 25:49 

How did you continue your training as an actor during your break?: 28:10 

How has it been like living out in Seattle since high school?: 31:09 

At a breaking point wanting to leave Seattle.: 35:33 

Taking care of ourselves. Know your worth.: 39:22 

How important is it to maintain mental and physical well being as an artist?: 42:16 

Freddy's Burger joint story.: 44:38 

What has your experience been like being a black male?: 48:04 

Bus story!: 55:07 

Being an artist during Covid. How have you adjusted?: 57:00 

What would you tell your thirteen-year-old self?: 1:01:1