"There is a level of gumption that is required to push through obstacles that try to prevent you from being the best version of yourself and reaching your goals. It requires perseverance, confidence, finding alignment with your inner truth, boundaries, and faith that everything will work out. That is what Vithya Visvendra embodies as she continues to navigate her personal life, public image, and business."

“In my 15 years in the education system and later in an executive educational position, I’d never seen a Bla(c)k brown woman or gender diverse person in leadership. The final straw was when I attended a Women in Educational Leadership conference in Sydney and there were more men in the room than melanated women. I broached this in the final session and the all-White panel made some awkward comparisons and justifications. At that moment I decided, right, if these women will not move over and make space for people who look and sound and think and live like me, I’ll create my own space for us.”

Born in Sri Lanka and raised in California, Tanya Selvaratnam was encouraged to pursue the type of vocation familiar to many South Asian families in the field of medicine or law. Despite this, her parents exposed her to various forms of art when she was a child, taking her to shows, movies and music events. It was through those experiences that she cultivated her passion for the arts, something she initially suppressed due to her family pressure.