Portraits of Pennsylvania

Vincent Hardy

I didn’t begin as the “natural dancer.” I started dancing at 14 years old 315 pounds, simply because I didn’t want to run laps for P.E. My high school offered dance as an alternative credit, and I chose it out of survival more than destiny. I just knew I didn’t want to be on the field. But something happened in that studio. Read more>>

Queen Zina Thrower

I was an executive banker in the financial industry for over eleven years, serving with excellence, integrity, and a commitment to growth. I helped lead my financial center to become number one in the company and successfully retained million‑dollar clients. Yet despite my dedication, I was let go due to corporate downsizing — a moment that shook the foundation of my life. Read more>>

BARRY THEAL, KYCH

My journey in the automotive surface and paint correction industry began with a relentless passion for perfection and a deep respect for the craftsmanship behind automotive finishes. Very early on, I realized that what most people called “detailing” barely scratched the surface of what was truly possible. Read more>>

Jessie Menken

When my daughter, Lily, was born 20 years ago my husband and I were new to Philly. I was surprised how isolating it was to be a new mom, in my head I thought it would be sort of like having a dog and I would just meet people around the neighborhood. Read more>>

Thomas Porrecca

I started my real estate career in 1971 purely by accident. I was seeking to raise private funds to invest in barren land in the United States that was strategically located for future appreciation and development. A local real estate broker called me to sit down and talk and I eventually secured a license with his firm. Read more>>

Sparkle Hill DeClet

My journey began with a brush and a deep fascination for how visual details can transform a person’s outlook. I started over 23 years ago as a makeup artist, honing my craft by focusing on more than just application—I focused on the boost of confidence that comes when someone sees their best self reflected in the mirror. Read more>>

Marielle Mathews

I have worked in the schools as a special education teacher and school psychologist for over 20 years. As I worked in the system, I started noticing I was not able to provide the comprehensive and compassionate services to the level in which I wanted. Read more>>

James Lewis

I’ve been writing all my professional life, starting as a broadcast journalist in Washington, DC, three cities in Florida, and Stockholm, Sweden. I moved into the funds development field in public media, into station management, and then formed my own consulting company working in the not-for-profit sector. Read more>>

Deidre Quinn

For years, I traveled extensively investigating internal theft for a retail company. My role was to prevent loss, uncover dishonesty, conduct interviews, and ultimately terminate employees. While I was effective in the role, the work was inherently adversarial, focused on resolving conflict and delivering outcomes that seldom felt positive. Read more>>

Shakira Jackson

As Director of Advocacy with Mental Health on Purpose, my work centers on supporting low-income families and individuals navigating mental health and substance use disorders. I specialize in community-based advocacy—bridging the gap between individuals in need and the systems, policies, and resources designed to support them. My focus is on reducing stigma, increasing access to care, and strengthening partnerships that create sustainable support networks. Read more>>

Sarah Weber

Oh geeze….where to start?! While studying broadcast journalism at Penn State University, I began my acting and modeling career. After graduation, I primarily focused on that, but realized with in 2 years it was not going to bring me the stability I needed as far as income. I did a few odds and ends jobs then and ultimately found myself in car sales. Read more>>

Kara Zuzu

For over twelve years, I dedicated my career to teaching. Education shaped me — it taught me leadership, adaptability, empathy, and how to build meaningful connections with people from all walks of life. I loved the work and the community it fostered. When the pandemic hit, like many others, I experienced an unexpected shift. Read more>>

Jay vonCzoernig

vonC brewing has brewing lineage dating back to 1860, Our family started Schmidt’s Brewing Co. back in 1860, I wrote the original business plan for vonC as a senior project at Northeastern Univ. in 1993. Read more>>

Aundrea Watkins

As a teenager, I dreamed of becoming a hairstylist — but it actually started in my parents’ basement doing nails. I had my own little station set up and would do nails for my proms, my friends’ proms, and school dances. Even then, I knew I loved helping people feel beautiful. While attending the University of Pittsburgh in 1999, I started taking hair more seriously. Read more>>

Tanira Smalls

I started Tagére Cosmetics in 2019. I originally started out curating skin care to help with the changes my skin went through after I had my son. After creating my own body butter and body scrub for personal use, I found myself invested in the concept of organic cosmetic. Read more>>

Emily Fisher

If you had told me in college that I would one day be running my own interior design business in Central Pennsylvania, raising four kids, and helping lead communications for one of the most iconic high school football games in the country, I probably would have laughed. I studied Interior Design in Pittsburg, Kansas, without fully understanding what the industry would eventually become. Read more>>

Helen Logan

I started modeling by accident! It was 2013, I think! My ex invited me to a shoot. The photographer asked me to step in because he liked my outfit. I didn’t start back up again until about 2016. Then I was like shit, I’m kind of good at this! -Wait, can I say shit? Read more>>

Camelia Bennett

When COVID shut the world down, my daughter asked me to watch a Japanese anime show with her. That started me on a journey that led me to discovering a Chinese danmei story. From there, I found the world of fan fiction. Read more>>

Bre Wagner

Honestly, some days I still can’t wrap my head around how I got to where I am. I struggled a lot socially which ultimately led to me dropping out of high school. I also had a hard time with what people consider ‘normal’ jobs. There was a lot of fear and uncertainty for what the future would look like for me. Read more>>

Ron Toles

I have always been a thoughtful person. Even as a kid, I paid attention to people. I noticed who felt left out, who was struggling quietly, who had potential but did not always get the support they deserved. I genuinely believed in the brilliance of the young people around me. The hard part is that I did not always believe that same thing about myself. Read more>>

Angelica Grant

I didn’t necessarily know if it was going to work out but I knew that I wanted it to. Even the most ridiculous obstacles did not hinder my confidence. I needed to develop a portfolio of graffiti art to get into a top art school. I didn’t come from an art background and it was an intensive process. My work was unpolished and idiosyncratic. Read more>>

Corey Bowlin

I started playing tennis at the age of 16. After college, I moved to Maui where I picked up playing tennis again. While living there, I was hired by a tennis management company(Peter Burwash International). I had the opportunity to work in California, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Anguilla as a head tennis professional and director of tennis. Read more>>

DJ Bachovin

I have been a Physician Assistant since 2010, working in Emergency Medicine for the bulk of my career. My partner Mike Whalen MD and I met working in the ER together. Our community was victim to the closure of an entire health system (Crozer), leading to 4 hospitals abruptly closing their doors over the past few years. Dr. Read more>>

Mark Brewer

I grew up in Connecticut before eventually moving to Pittsburgh, PA. When I was fifteen, I pitched a few cartoons to our small-town newspaper. They printed them each week—and continued to do so for the next ten years. Fresh out of high school, I worked as an apprentice for syndicated cartoonists Guy and Brad Gilchrist. Read more>>

Frank Mingrino

Family owned since 2006, Limoncello Ristorante and Catering has become one of Chester County’s most recognized names, providing traditional and authentic Italian cuisine, along with specialty and customized dishes. Each dish that is served at Limoncello Ristorante is cooked with love and has been perfected through generations of Mingrino’s. Read more>>

Kylene Cleaver

As a former ballet dancer, I had always been photographed, but when I career ending injury happened, I needed to pivot. Something where I was able to let my creative side soar. Enter my first dslr camera after the birth of my son. It became and extension of me. Read more>>

Molly MacDonald

Ever since graduating from college, I have been involved in marketing in a variety of different fields. Kicking off my career, I started in the promotional products, print, and distribution world at One Point, Inc. in Scranton, PA. I next transitioned into the Affiliate Marketing world while working for Pepperjam in Wilkes-Barre, PA. I then made my way back to One Point, Inc. Read more>>

Cathy Greco

I’ve always lived in worlds of imagination. I was an obsessive reader as a child, the kind who got in trouble with the teach because I was reading a book after finishing my work and didn’t hear when the teacher called my name to let me know the class was ready to move on. From there I moved on to acting. Read more>>

Linda Coddington

It all started with coloring. I can remember, as a little girl, having a little pack of crayons, like 8 in the pack, basic colors. And I would get bored with the colors so I would mix them. I would color blue over green to make turquoise and red over blue to make purple. Read more>>

Jessica Hawthorne

I have always been an entrepreneur-spirited artist. My mother established Main Line Therapeutic when life forced her to re-invent herself. I worked here alongside her in the beginning, and then took a detour when I got married and became a mom. When my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2021, the path of my life then began to recalibrate. Read more>>

John Gummere

When I was growing up, I always thought of myself as an artist; I drew and painted pretty much nonstop. My mom was well known around town (Trenton, NJ) as a portrait painter so art was always part of family life, although I was the only kid who actually pursued it professionally. Read more>>

Ashley Cimino

After high school, I was not entirely sure what path I wanted to take. I did well enough in school and had a strong circle of friends, but traditional college never felt like the right fit for me. I always had an instinct that I wanted to help people in some way, I just did not yet know what that would look like. Read more>>

Barbara Simmons

When my children were in elementary school, I was working as an archeologist in Pt. Pleasant, PA during the time when the community around me was fighting the building of a pumping station that would extract millions of gallons of water from the Delaware River (right where I was excavating) to send to a nuclear power plant. Read more>>

Michelle Rupp

My path to founding All Good Pets really began in early childhood. From birth until about age three, my family lived in a rented house on a farm. I spent much of my time following the barn cats around, trying in my own small way to “treat” them when they were sick or injured. Read more>>

Cassidy Grant

i have been creating as long as i can remember. i’ve been illustrating for over 15 years, and just recently picked up sewing and linocutting over the last 2 years. when i was younger my art was mainly anime characters, and really self indulgent, but as i grew older i really fell into my current tattoo-esque style of illustration. Read more>>

Maryam Marhumah

I started my entrepreneurial journey in Pittsburgh, PA. I launched my first barber salon studio in December of 2020. I ran my former salon for three consecutive years. I was blessed with numerous opportunities during my professional barber stylist journey, yet I sought additional challenges. I realized my mission was greater than remaining behind a chair for my entire life. Read more>>

Necia B

I got started with my writing career when I was 12 years old writing my emotions out in my journey cause I couldn’t speak up for myself or protect my inner child or myself from the abuse that I had suffered from family & so called friends . Read more>>

Matt Wray

Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, I grew up playing and being involved in sports at every turn. A funny anecdote I always tell is my business career started very young (perks of always looking older than I am). Read more>>

Daniel Jackson

My pleasure! I’ll start the journey around 2002, when I was moonlighting as a mixtape DJ and aspiring music artist while working in custodial services. By 2011, I launched Embassy: Interactive as a digital platform for indie artists. That era was my training ground; it taught me that true influence lies in the stories behind the culture. Read more>>

Jennifer Jurkofsky

My path has been shaped by both lived experience and deep curiosity about the human psyche and spirit. I became a single mom in 2012 after a very difficult divorce, which was a turning point that forced me to look honestly at healing, resilience, and what it really means to come home to yourself. Read more>>

Tracy Shearer

My journey began in the corporate world, where I spent over three decades in leadership, operations, and change management roles. Despite external professional success, internally, I was exhausted, stressed, and disconnected from my health and well-being. I was out of balance, made poor food choices, and began to struggle with my health. Read more>>

Janaya Buck

When someone asks me how long I’ve been ‘going to craft shows,’ I always laugh and say ‘since the womb!’ My mother had been doing craft shows since before she was pregnant with me, and during her pregnancy with me. She took me to my first craft show when I was only a few weeks old. Read more>>

Jay Janicki

I always knew I was really sensitive and really enjoyed helping others. I knew that I wanted to help people for a living, and for a long time I was convinced I was destined to be a doctor or a nurse. I grew up with two chronically ill parents; my mom with MS and my dad with a ALS/CIDP hybrid diagnosis of sorts. Read more>>

Josh Weiss

I pretty much fell ass-backwards into a writing career. Sure, I’d been a movie critic at my university’s newspaper—the Drexel Triangle—for half a decade, but my degree was in public relations. To make things even more confusing, my first job out of college was as a production assistant at a major news corporation in New York City. Read more>>

Matt Sosnowsky

I spent most of my 20s working in finance after studying business at Penn State, but I knew early on it wasn’t the right long-term fit. Volunteering with a suicide & crisis hotline changed the course of my life. They taught us the art of active listening and empathy, which runs counter to the instinct to jump in with advice when someone is in pain. Read more>>