We’ve highlighted responses from some of the brightest and most talented artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in the community below.

Raven Grant

My mom is, without a doubt, my hero. Raised by a single parent, I witnessed firsthand how, even through the toughest and darkest times, anything is possible with God. She was the epitome of turning lemons into lemonade, always hustling and never letting her circumstances stand in the way of what needed to be done and giving us the life she thought we deserved. That same unwavering drive has been instilled in me and has significantly influenced my journey into photography. Read more>>

Charleen Baggett

As a child, I was intrigued by my family’s inexpensive Brownie camera. I believed that black square box made miracles, and I was determined to learn how to make it work. I recall asking my father how to photograph someone’s true personality. He explained that some individuals are not able to openly express themselves because they put their emotion in a hidden place in their soul. Read more>>

Joycelyn Kelly-gray

My hero is my mother, Regina Kelly. She was the strongest woman I’ve ever known—resilient, resourceful, and determined. No matter what life threw at her, she handled it with grace and grit. Giving up? That was never an option.

She really drilled into me that “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” If something didn’t work out the first time, she didn’t sit around complaining—she figured out another way. That mindset has stuck with me. Whether it’s life, business, or creative work, I don’t dwell on roadblocks. I pivot, I adapt, and I keep pushing forward. Read more>>

Lola Reid Allin

My hero is Beryl Markham (1902-1986) the first person, male or female, to fly east-to-west across the Atlantic, from England to North America, an adventure commemorated in her memoir, West with the Night (pub. 1942, reprinted 1986).

Though she was born in England, her parents relocated to British East Africa, now Kenya, in 1906. Soon thereafter, her mother returned to England, leaving young Beryl with her father who let her “run wild” with young Masai boys who taught her how to hunt, track, and survive in the African savanna. Read more>>

Alicia Christy

As an army doc, a V.A. doc, and now a Red Cross volunteer physician, I have had the privilege of caring for active-duty service women and women veterans for more than 30 years. In addition to providing them with care, I use my artwork to honor them. My series of portraits, “Faces of the Fallen: Women Proudly Served,” is a tribute to women who lost their lives in service to our country, including Lieutenant Colonel Karen Wagner, who was my Company Commander when I was stationed at Walter Reed. Read more>>

Lisa O’brien

My mom is my hero! She is a hero to me because she has persevered through things that I don’t think I would be able to. She has self taught herself so many things. After leaving my dad, she had to figure it all out to make a life for her two girls. She was 29. She came back to St. Louis and bought a home in Kirkwood. Cleaned houses to be able to be home for us after school. Turned that into a small business. Learned how to do all of that on her own. She just never ever gave up. She took my sister and I on amazing vacations to tropical locations and even other countries, Europe. It was pretty amazing. Read more>>