

The editorial team has a special attachment to our new series, The Trailblazers: Rewriting the Narrative, because so many of us feel that media portrayals of women have been too one dimensional. Today, women are doing incredible things in all fields – from science and technology to finance, law, business, athletics and more. With the Trailblazers series, we hope to highlight and celebrate female role models, encourage more equal and just representation in the media, and help foster a more tight-knit community locally helping women find mentors, business partners, friends and more.
Below, you’ll find some incredible trailblazers from in and around South Loop that we hope you will check out, follow and support.
Paulina Seng

The Veiled Hand is a culmination of the many aspects of myself that I’ve spent my life thus far exploring. In my creative pursuits, I’ve explored product design, fashion design and textile design. I’ve always felt deep fulfillment from creating with my hands, and though I entertained using my creativity in an industry setting, I couldn’t help but be pulled back to creating pieces slowly, one at a time. Read more>>
Kiana Ardoin

I have always been in love with music. When I was three years old, dancing and singing in our living room, I told my mom that I wanted to be like Hannah Montana and have millions of fans all over the world. I’ve always had a dream and passion for connecting to others through art, first music then dancing, singing, visual art, spoken word and writing. Read more>>
Elexis Mitchell

My roots are in Port Arthur, Texas where I was raised. I went through a program at Stilwell Technical Center where I received my Certified Nurse’s Aide license at the completion of high school, May 2006. I then attended Prairie View A&M University in the Fall of 2006 and completed my Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing December 2010. Read more>>
Alyssa Mendez

Bare Skin Bare Beauty started in 2017 when I finally found skincare products that worked for me. I was dealing with hormonal and cystic acne at the time, and no products were helping my skin. I did some research and came across a product called African Black Soap. I ordered a bar, and my life was forever changed. My skin cleared up in as little as a month. Read more>>
Amanda Barrera

I have been cutting hair for about ten years, with a majority of my focus being on barbering, but I love everything about hair. I became curious about hair and hairstyles as a pre-teen when I would experiment with my own hair. I would try numerous hairstyles, cuts, and even ventured out with learning more about wigs and hair attachments. Read more>>
Carmen Welch

I grew up in a small town in Arkansas with a population of approximately 200 people. I went to college and then shortly after being in college and losing my scholarship, it left me with paying for school on my own due to my own poor decisions… During this time, I began to make poor decisions out of frustration. Read more>>
Simone Trevas

I took a class my senior year of high school called “Bio-Engineering and World Health” and that is when I was first introduced to public health and became intrigued by it. I took more public health courses at the University of Houston (UH) which ultimately grew my passion for the field. Read more>>
Bri Lewis

I started as a blogger a year ago on February 10, 2020, and it has been the most rewarding experience. I’ve always been one to motivate others but kept myself up at night thinking about how I could touch more people. I lost my father in October 2018 and he was one of my biggest champions for doing what sets my soul on fire. Read more>>
Kendra Hayes

I was born in San Antonio, Texas and raised in Sugar Land, Texas. My Parents worked very hard to ensure that my Sister & I never had to endure the type of upbringing they endured. My Father is from South Central (LA), California, that area is full of gang violence, drug selling. Read more>>
Kayla Ramagos

Since a little girl, I always had an eye for fashion. Whether it was dressing up my Barbie dolls, playing dress up in my mother’s clothes, or simply enjoying the shopping trips where I got to shop ’till I dropped! As I got older, fashion and the way I dressed became apart of my identity. Read more>>