Core to our mission is helping our audience and community reach their full potential and the most important part of reaching your full potential is starting to find your purpose. Below, we’ve shared stories and insights from the community around how various folks found their purpose and we hope it helps you in your journey.

William Bastuk

My passion as advocate for social, racial and economic justice began with Dad’s   commitment to community. Unable to serve in World War Two due to a handicapped leg Dad felt he had to make a contribution to those upstate New York Ukrainian servicemen defending freedom. Read more>>

Mamta Singh

We are all a collection of stories and experiences. Some our own and some we see and hear around us. Every single one of these stories is powerful and deserves to be heard and told. There was something about story telling that fascinated me growing up. So, later on choosing to somehow be in communications was I guess a natural progression. I may not have had an idea back then what the field of communications , journalism and media would entail but was eager to go with the flow and see what was in store for me. Read more>>

Mia Scarpetta

All the opportunities that were given to me, and all the obstacles that I faced in my life have led me to this very point in my life. I would not change anything of my past, no matter how difficult it may have been for me at the time. I learned what to do, what not to do, and what I wanted for myself as a person at a young age. I found my purpose through these stepping stones in my life, and discovered my passion for art, music, and nature. When I was young and growing up with my father, he introduced me to many types of artists and bands. We listened to a lot of rock, psych rock, folk rock, and many other genres of music. A band I fell in love with from the beginning and is still my favourite band to this day is “The Dandy Warhols” and another favourite, “Black Rebel Motorcycle Club”. Both my mom and my dad have such a unique taste in music, and I feel fortunate to have grown up with their taste in art and sound. Read more>>

Bill Roundy

I drew my first comic book on September 11, 2002.
I lived in New York City, and on the anniversary of that terrible day I did not want to see any memorials, any news reports, or any images of what I had seen the previous year. What I wanted was a distraction; something that would occupy me for the entire day. And I remembered “The 24-Hour Comic,” a challenge from cartoonist Scott McCloud to write and draw a 24-page comic book in 24 hours. I hadn’t drawn anything since my middle-school art classes, but this seemed like just what I needed. I set out my pencil, some markers, and a stack of printer paper, and got to work. Read more>>

Lynsey West

Finding my purpose has been a journey of balancing my identity both within and outside of motherhood. For years, my primary focus was on raising my four children, pouring my energy into their growth and happiness. While I loved every moment of it, there was always a part of me that felt the need to create and express myself beyond the role of being a mom. Read more>>

Liz Clancy

June 24, 2022. Roe v. Wade is overturned. I actually go numb. At first, I couldn’t take my eyes off of the news. But then I couldn’t watch. As someone who is from Louisiana and had an abortion in college, this issue resonates with me deeply. I wasn’t aware I had so much unprocessed trauma about it until it overcame me like a giant, all-encompassing wave. Read more>>

Tacora Woods

Growing up, I struggled with reading; I couldn’t read at grade level and had difficulty with spelling. I took a Hooked on Phonics class in elementary school, where I discovered that I had an exceptional memory and could better comprehend stories when they were read aloud. This ability allowed me to visualize vivid images of what I was reading, which sparked my creativity and inspired me to start drawing. Initially, I drew the usual cartoon characters, with my favorite being Dragon Ball Z characters. As I grew older, I found ways to channel my creativity into my schoolwork. Although I might have performed poorly on writing papers or spelling tests, I always compensated by creating impressive art and history projects. Read more>>

Theo Okuribido

Finding my purpose has been a journey deeply rooted in my love for my family and a desire to give them the absolute best version of myself. From a young age, I knew that my family would be my driving force, the cornerstone of everything I do. My purpose is intrinsically tied to ensuring that they have a life that is good, filled with love, stability, and the opportunities they deserve. Read more>>

Sandra Rodriquez Bicknell

Writing my book was the catalyst to finding my purpose. Through that experience is where I came to terms with the person that I am and what I had to offer the world. Read more>>

Josephus Iii

Purpose is a funny thing, it’s never quite what you think it is. I can’t really say that I found my purpose. I would feel more confident in saying it found me. For so long I was focused on doing what the world said I was supposed to do to find success. Seldom do people say find what brings you joy or a place where you matter. So I was focused on going to school, getting an education, so I could find a good job and by good, I mean one that pays a lot of money. Instead, my purpose found me in the midst of denial and tribulation and what I thought was failure. An engineer by education, but I had been writing poetry since high school and attending open mics in college, I had begun to hone my craft. I never thought it could become a job or a career and definitely not my purpose. After I stepped off stage one night at a local open mic, I was offered the opportunity to perform at a local church and asked how much I charged. In that moment a light bulb went off, now I admit it wasn’t very bright, but the idea that someone would pay me to perform had never really entered my mind. That was the first of many doors I began to walk through. Not chance or beat down, but that were opened and connected and fulfilling. So I guess my purpose had been present in my life for quite some time, I just never took notice or nurtured it into reality. Read more>>

Yong Eun (may) Kwon

My work is a kind of rest for me. Not rest like leisure, entertainment, or hobbies, but more like letting go and emptying out. I’m someone who thinks a lot. I’m the type who worries about the sky falling. Daily life can be overwhelming for someone like me. Relationships, busy schedules, responsibilities, and things that don’t go my way all fill my mind with complex thoughts. That’s why I created my half-human, half-fish persona, Fish Daegari. Read more>>