Spotlights

These are the career stories of diverse individuals working in a variety of careers. Watch or read about what inspired them to pursue their career, what they were like growing up, what they love most about their career and more!

“School counseling is amazing...you have the power to completely change  the trajectory of a child’s life.”  Lisa Andrews is a school counselor working in the Pomona Unified School District in California. Throughout her career, Ms. Andrews has dedicated herself to servicing the most vulnerable of our society by empowering them to change  for the better. As a growing leader in the field of school counseling, Ms. Andrews has been invited to speak at conferences and multiple school counseling training programs. She is especially passionate about pushing boundaries… Read More
Misty Espinoza is the Vice President of Communications of Entertainment Industry Foundation, (EIF), a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry that harnesses the collective power of the entire industry to raise awareness and funds for critical health, educational and social issues in order to make a positive impact in our community and throughout the nation. Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, she moved to California to major in Communications at Stanford University. Misty used her degree and love for entertainment to pave a road for success- one which lead to… Read More
Sofiya Kukharenko is an Industrial and Systems Engineer at SKF USA, Inc., based in Georgia. She moved to the United States from Ukraine at the age of 2. From an early age, Sofiya seized every opportunity she could within the education system to become the second person in her family to graduate from an American college (after her older sister), and to achieve success in a male-dominated career. Sofiya graduated from the prestigious Georgia Institute of Technology which she attended on a full-ride HOPE scholarship. Georgia Tech is ranked first in the world by US News & World… Read More
Jen had aspirations as a child actor with a photographic memory starting as early as eight years old and eventually found a passion for casting. She interned with casting directors while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she graduated with a BA in History and Women’s Studies in 1994. She began working full-time in casting in 2000, and over the next 17 years has had a storied career working as a casting associate for Susan Shopmaker Casting where she helped cast Verizon’s “Can You Hear Me Now” campaign, working as a casting director for The Walt Disney Company… Read More
Paul Tanpitukpongse is an engineer-turned-patent attorney currently working with Meunier, Carlin & Curfman LLC, a legal firm located in Atlanta, GA. A self-described ‘tinkerer’, Paul participated in the automotive club, science fairs and engineering competitions in high school. These extra-curricular endeavors coupled with strong STEM skills led to his first career as an engineer. As an advocate for continual learning and following one’s passions, Paul decided to then  pursue a career in the legal field.. He has found success as a practicing patent attorney for five years… Read More
Roshan Yoganathan went from playing with homemade volcanoes and other science experiments to helping develop medical devices the size of a grain of rice.  A passion for science and healthcare led Roshan to a career as a biomedical scientist. Working on the cutting edge of technology means a scientist has to be on the move. Roshan’s career has taken him around the globe; starting out in his hometown of Toronto, Roshan relocated to the Australian shore, then Los Angeles, and recently to his current home in San Francisco. As he works on developing devices designed to help people… Read More