The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Melanie Hower
In high school, I took a film photography class and immediately fell in love with photography. As I progressed into senior year and eventually college, I found myself loving psychology as well. I never thought I could put the two interests together until my professor said to me, ‘You have that left brain, right brain thing going on. You should be an art therapist’…. Read more>>
Giorgi Sukhiashvili
My name is Giorgi Sukhiashvili, and I am the co-founder of Georgian Chess Academy. I learned chess as a child in Georgia and have loved the game ever since. Chess has always been an important part of my life, both as a player and as a coach. After moving to the United States in 2009, I continued playing and teaching chess. Read more>>
Eliza Pawlowski
4 years ago Mind & Moxie was just a dream. no portfolio, no roadmap, just an idea that I could build something bigger than myself. My office was my NYC city apartment and content creation wasn’t even a thing yet. Read more>>
Ivy Huang
IMUR Gallery began with a simple belief: art has the power to connect people across cultures, disciplines, and experiences. Before founding IMUR, I spent many years working with artists, cultural organizations, and creative projects internationally. Throughout those experiences, I often saw talented artists struggling to find meaningful opportunities to present their work, connect with audiences, and build sustainable careers. Read more>>
Antonio Somma Jr.
My name is Antonio Somma Jr., and I’m the fourth of five children in an Italian immigrant family. Growing up, sports were a huge part of my life. If there was a game being played, I wanted to be involved. Whether it was football, baseball, basketball, or just playing outside with my siblings and friends, I loved competing and being active. Read more>>
Arva Attarwala
I came to the United States in 2005 and had pursued my education in Psychology from India. Unfortunately, none of my credits transfer, and I found myself looking for a new direction. To get out of the house and stay productive, I started doing henna. Read more>>
Jane Kleiman
As a child of fine and commercial artists, I always knew I would become an artist, but over time, I lost my connection to creativity, trying to fit into environments that never felt quite right, including art school and the art world. Years later, while raising my profoundly autistic son, I found my way back through pottery. Read more>>
Stephen mattner
I worked in consrtuction with my brother doing roofing and siding when i b was around 18 i worked in retail at home depot and started out in garden center i was promoted to dept manager and then assistant manager and transfered to new jersey cape may area i ran tge overnight crew and shortly after started doing handyman work and painting anything i could do to help pay bills i then worked at walmart as assistant manager a nd continued to paint during day.i have been retired from walmart and this is my fourteenth year painting Read more>>
Laura Ferri
A decade ago, at an incredible precipice of life I just started writing. The My Inner Struggle Blog was born from a place of pain, but over the course of a decade has taught me so much about myself. It’s everything – writing from a place of pain or the joyous ‘after’. Becoming authentically me during the process. Read more>>
Sonny Thai
Firm AF started from a simple belief: fitness should be about building confidence, strength, and community, not intimidation. What began as a passion for helping people become the strongest version of themselves grew into a space where individuals of all fitness levels feel supported and empowered. Read more>>
Alpana Mittal
I grew up in a family that deeply appreciated art. My mother was an exceptional artist and art teacher, and I admired her work from a very young age. Looking at her paintings, I often dreamed of becoming an artist like her. She conducted art classes in her home studio, and I would often sit quietly in the corner and paint alongside her students. Read more>>
Lindsey Jonin
Creativity, fun, and play have always been at the core of who I am. Growing up, I was the kid who showed up everywhere with snacks and art supplies in tow, always ready to make something or share something with the people around me (some things never change). I was also interested in supporting others, my empathy was there at a young age. Read more>>
Alina Braverman
I’ve spent 15+ years building technology — and fighting to make it safer — sitting at the intersection of tech, story, and safety. I’ve been fortunate to lead the creation of the first social media features sold to Facebook and the connection engine to LinkedIn. Read more>>
Sonia Urquilla
I graduated from university(Montclair State University) and naturally fell into sales. It was the jobs that landed on my desk first. But I didn’t like it. So I decided to invest in a career coaching program and pivot to marketing. I took a bunch of marketing courses. One of them was SEO. Read more>>
Marina Yiannos
My name is Marina Yiannos, I own Marina Y Art, and I’m an artist based right outside of Ocean City, NJ. I graduated in 2024 from the University of Tampa with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy. Read more>>
