Michelle (2)

(2/2) “My son was probably two years old when I got breast cancer. During this time I finally I got a section 8 apartment and it was really close to the church I was going to. I used to sing in the church choir and some of my friends on there noticed that I wasn’t […]

Michelle

I had the honor recently of talking to Topeka Mayor, Michelle De La Isla, as part of my Kansas Young at Heart series. This is part one of her powerful story in her own words: —- “When I was 16 I had my first boyfriend. He decided that he didn’t want me to go to […]

S.J. (2)

(2/2) “I look at the world without walls. I never met anybody that I was afraid to go talk to, or shake their hand or introduce myself. So my biggest challenge is to not let the naysayers get me down, which doesn’t happen often. But everyone has feelings and no one likes it hearing those […]

S.J.

This is S.J. Hazim, he’s a community leader, activist and connector. This is part one of his story. -Part of the Kansas Young at Heart series. —– (1/2) “I consider myself a creativity expert. I teach creativity. I believe that in this day and age we don’t tap in to our creativity, or utilize the […]

Deanna (2)

(2/2) “The original idea started about 10 years ago and it came about when my daughter started writing and I couldn’t find a mentor for her. I was like, ‘If I can’t find one for her, there are probably other kids that don’t have a mentor either’ and I didn’t want her to lose the […]

Deanna

This is Deanna Munoz the founder of the Latino Foundation for the Arts a non-profit that is doing amazing things for children in the community. She was also featured in Season 4 of Queer Eye. This is part one of her story. — —- “Being on Queer Eye helped me confront some truths about my […]

Lucas (2)

“In order to fully realize yourself, you need to understand on a fundamental level why you’re here and what makes you tick. And I know that’s a big question to answer, but it’s important. For me, all that time that I spent lost, where I wasn’t functioning in a way that I agreed with, led […]

Lucas

This is Lucas Z Ryan. He’s the Operations Manager of Infinite Properties Group and he’s also running for City Council, District 6 in Topeka. —- (1/2) “I kind of have run the gamut in terms of expectations. Freshman year of high school my Debate and Forensics coach sat me down and told me that I […]

Vidhi (2)

“I’m kind of like the black sheep of the family. To come to this point I had to make it all about me and how to get better and how to make friends. My parents and my family are still very much Indian, but I have immersed myself into this environment to be more accepted […]

Vidhi

This is Vidhi Heiland, although she goes by V. She is the owner of Essential Henna By V. This is part one of her story. —- “Henna has always been part of my culture. My mom used to do it on me when I was younger, so when we moved here my friends were like, […]