The Change-Makers: stories that inspire

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.

Kathryn Houghton

I started off sharing my thoughts and photos with others through sheer love of books alone, back in 2019 in Florida. Since then I’ve published two of my own books and working on more, if writers block ever frees me. Fast forward to the present, and I’m sharing local haunts in Columbus, Ohio. Read more>>

Mariah Burks

At just 8 years young I knew, almost, exactly what I wanted to be and do in life. It was either the worlds most famous violinist -ballerina-lawyer or a storyteller. Not the ‘liar-liar pants on fire’ kind, but the kind of storyteller that would make you laugh till you peed or wept for pure joy. Read more>>

Jess Boeke

My twin sister and I were both English teachers, and worked on organic farms in the summer while we were in our early 20s. We were- and still are- very strong advocates for the local food scene. Read more>>

Christian Keith

I’m from Cleveland, Ohio, and a big part of my story is simply continuing to create and push forward no matter what life puts in front of me. Right now, I work two 9-to-5 jobs, but outside of work I’m a content creator, videographer, and editor. Read more>>

Ben Mollin

Ben F’n Mollin is a punk-rock, Cali-sober, non-practicing Jew who went from being a celebrity hairdresser to an overweight, func- tioning alcoholic turned suicide prevention specialist, endurance athlete, and motivational speaker. As the founder and creator of The Ben Mollin Project, he hosts trans- formational events and speaks on topics such as the mindset of a warrior and finding your power. Read more>>

Sharita Ramsey

My journey is one of faith, resilience, sacrifice, and perseverance. I often say that sometimes God has to completely dismantle the life you know to prepare you for the life you’re destined to live. Before becoming a barber, loctician, trichologist, instructor, and entrepreneur, I was a teenage mother who married at 19 and was raising three children. Read more>>

Melissa English Campbell

I came to art later in life, entering an MFA program in my early 40s. After earning my degree, I taught in Kent State University’s College of Fashion for seven years before leaving academia to become a full-time artist. My work is informed by my formative years, which were filled with constant movement and adaptation. Read more>>

Shawon Gullette

My journey began over 35 years ago in the beauty industry as a hairstylist with a passion for helping women look and feel their best. What started as a love for hairstyling gradually evolved into a deeper calling as I began encountering women struggling with hair loss, scalp disorders, and the emotional challenges that often accompany them. Read more>>

Victoria Nemati

My name is Victoria Nemati. Born in Tehran and raised near the Caspian Sea, I learned to cook beside my mother and grandmother. After moving to America in 2000, I spent years refining recipes and creating my own sauces and dressings. My journey took me from home catering to a hotel kitchen and, in 2018, to opening Caspian Kabob & Grill in Columbus, Ohio. Read more>>

Gery Deer

I’ve always been curious about how things work, but even more interested in why people do what they do. Growing up on a small farm in rural southwestern Ohio, I developed an appreciation for hard work, resourcefulness, and the importance of understanding people. I was fascinated by technology, music, writing, and storytelling, though I didn’t yet know how those interests would fit together. Read more>>

Jyll Person-Boyd

My story begins with in my youth, attending fashion shows, beauty events, and pageants, so I found a love of all things beautiful early. As I explored career options, I went back to the foundation of who I am, which is that I’m a creative who believes beauty is to be shared and experienced. Read more>>

Ben Rosen

I went to school at Brandeis University and majored in Business & Psychology. Graduated and went into financial advising for a year, but quickly left that industry when I realized I needed to pick my career, not just a job I was doing for money. Read more>>

Augustine Turner

My story is rooted in faith, purpose, and a desire to create opportunities for others. I founded Mentors4Minorities because I wanted to help young people and families access practical support, encouragement, and guidance they could build on. I started by doing the work directly: having conversations, building relationships, and going door to door to share our mission and generate support. Read more>>

Stephanie Zwolenik

My journey in the beauty industry began in high school, when I enrolled in the cosmetology program at Normandy High School. I started my career in 2012, and what initially drew me to the industry was the opportunity to be creative while connecting with people. Over the years, that passion has grown into something much bigger than I could have imagined. Read more>>

Dasia Dionne

My name is Dasia Dionne and I am from the best city in Ohio; Cleveland. Being born n’ raised in a small city, from a small family has undoubtedly shaped who I am today. I am a Creator, Writer, and soon to be published Author. But how did we get here? Telling it is my favorite part. Read more>>

Diane Hites

I was a single parent on public assistance with very few options of income as I had spent the last 20 years raising children when I first started in the life insurance industry. I started with Aflac and Primerica, but didn’t find the work-life balance I was looking for until I came to work as a 1099 self-employee with Lincoln Heritage! Read more>>

Regina Carswell Russo

Journalism gave me the foundation. Reinvention gave me the business. After more than 23 years in broadcast journalism, including at FOX19 in Cincinnati, I had built a career asking tough questions, earning trust and making complicated stories understandable. I was proud of that work and bold enough to believe those skills could take me somewhere new. Read more>>

Joy Harris

When I look back over my life, I realize that so much of who I am today was shaped by experiences I never imagined would become part of my story. My journey has been one of perseverance, sacrifice, faith, reinvention, and learning that sometimes life has to take you in an entirely different direction for you to discover what else is inside of you. Read more>>

Darien Pugh

I started as a Cincinnati independent artist in 2015, built my first audience through self-released music and local performance, used that momentum to pursue the industry in New York and Atlanta, and gradually evolved from recording artist into a songwriter/creative who develops records for myself and other artists. Read more>>

Shelle Mathis

My story began in Elyria, Ohio, where my faith and desire to help others laid the foundation for my life’s work. I wanted to help people find healing, strengthen their relationships, and recognize that their struggles do not have to define their future. That calling led me into counseling, ministry, and community leadership. In 2013, I founded Shelle M. Read more>>

Varin Acevedo

I am a silhouette artist in the true tradition. Although I live in the Cleveland area, I travel to events, weddings and festivals all over the country in my camper van. When I go to a wedding or other event I set up a station and the guests will sit down in front of me. Read more>>

Corey Kissel

I developed a passion from health and fitness at a very young age around the time I was becoming a teenager. I quickly realized after beginning athletics that I enjoyed training in and out of the weight room for the sports I was playing more than the actual sports themselves. Read more>>

Schy West

Honestly, it started with curiosity. I always felt a pull toward music, and not even to make it at first. I just wanted to know how it was made. Why does one song hit you a certain way? Why does a certain sound make you feel something you can’t explain? Music always did that for me. Read more>>

Kiley George

I was born in Mentor, Ohio, in the early 1990s, or as the kids say, the late 1900s. LOL. Raised by a single mother and a musician father, I grew up loving art, music, and making people laugh. By my teens, I’d fallen in love with theatre, improv, and the connection between performers and audiences. Read more>>

Chawis Saelim

I started off as a kid who loved to illustrate and strived for something different that I had never done before; that’s why I started doing Fashion Design. I didn’t know how to sew before entering the fashion major; I strove and practiced to get where I am now today. Read more>>

James Whitfield

My journey as a photographer, videographer, and visual storyteller is rooted in my appreciation for art, history, and the power of visual expression. I’ve always believed that photography is more than simply capturing an image; it’s about preserving moments, documenting history, and telling stories that words alone cannot fully express. Read more>>

Brian Evans

My journey in baking started in 2009 while working in restaurants, at the time I became enamored with the notion of bread baking. I approached the owner with a proposal to start an in house bread program, and after talking logistics I was given the opportunity to start experimenting. Read more>>

Scott Tammaro

From my earliest memories I’ve been obsessed with and loved everything about art. I was always drawing cartoons and hot-rods as a little kid. I got my first camera in high school and have been in love with photography ever since. I’ve had many starts and stops over the years but with each return to photography my intensity has only grown stronger. Read more>>

Logan Baldauf

Im originally from the small town of Weirton, West Virginia. I’d say my interest in art started very young, particularly drawing and as I got older I found painting had an even stronger appeal. When I started school at CCAD I was originally intending to pursue fine arts but I knew I had to focus on something different. Read more>>