Baltimore’s Most Inspiring Stories

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.

Patrice Singletary

Nannie Mae’s Kitchen: Comfort Food Made With Purpose Some people inherit recipes. I inherited resilience. My story begins with tragedy, but it is also a story of love, survival, and legacy. When I was just eight years old, my world changed forever. Read more>>

Komal Luthra

Growing up, I was surrounded by stories of transformation. At the dinner table, my father, a gastroenterologist, would recount moments when timely intervention had saved a life. My mother, a psychotherapist, spoke of patients who arrived overwhelmed by depression and slowly rediscovered hope through patience, trust, and care. Read more>>

Will Anderson

While on my 3rd trip to Costa Rica (actually considering a move) I met my ‘now’ wife/business partner, Cinthia. We crossed paths in a cafe, ironically. We spent the day together enjoying each other’s company and I ended up extending my trip another day so we could get together again. That began a long distance relationship, which grew quickly and intentionally. Read more>>

Tonya Diggs

I am the Director of Gifting Girls to Grow, Inc., a 501 c 3 non-profit mentoring organization for girls ages 7-13. The organization was started in 2021. Being raised in a loving and supportive home taught me encouragement and guidance. So, I created this business to give young girls that same feeling. Read more>>

Joshua Able-Carter

I was first introduced to photography at a young age by my uncle who was a photographer for the marines during the Vietnam War. From there I have had a long relationship exploring photography and after taking a step away from it after high school I always felt it calling back to me. Read more>>

Deji Ilesanmi (Daygee)

Started with a group called ‘Milli Mindz’ (meaning militarized minds) in Lagos, Nigeria. It was a conglomerate of seven (7) groups and i was the only solo artist and the youngest. Life scattered us all later on. On my own end, i got an admission to further my education following the plans of my parents for me. But music never left me. Read more>>

Dalbin Osorio

I am the son of a Dominican immigrant mother who came to the United States with very little and built a life for our family through work that cost her more than she could fully say. In my teens, she worked as a housekeeper for families in Manhattan. Read more>>

Jessica Azeez

Jonathan and I started Seylou in 2017. Jonathan’s journey began with a trip to Senegal in 2007, where his passion for bread and local grains first took root. The word ‘Seylou’ is actually the name of an eagle in that region—a place we continue to visit and support today, as it is home to many dear friends. Read more>>

Nicole Pryor

The highest form of success is not what you achieve for yourself, but how many lives are transformed because you chose to serve.” My journey has always been centered around one thing serving people. I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and one of the greatest lessons I have learned is that your geographical location has nothing to do with your purpose and calling. Read more>>

Kenya Pope

Starting as an entrepreneur, I have developed business teams in traditional models, network marketing, a brick-and-mortar restaurant, and a service-based coaching business over the last 11 years since receiving my ICF training as a Professional Coach. Seeing firsthand the challenge humans face in implementing sound strategy, I am inspired to develop curated support. Read more>>

Savinder Jaspal

My father started me in photography. When I was young he would get all kinds of cameras from auctions and we would work to bring them back to life. We did photography for all sorts of events from wedding to the Stawberry Festival where I grew up. I even did a photography camp at the local college. Read more>>

Julian Coy

Both of my parents were NASA subcontractors, and they met while working at Computer Sciences Corporation, CSC, in Silver Spring, Maryland. In that sense, I was born into the world of government technology, aerospace contracting, and the institutional machinery that defined the late twentieth-century American technical class. I was born in 1993, among the first real batch of digital natives. Read more>>

Keyarah Watson

I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware’s inner city, raised by an amazing single mother. Though I faced struggles and challenges, what changed everything for me was my mother’s belief in me. She used books and television to expose me to new worlds and possibilities that did not exist in my immediate environment. Media became a way for me to imagine something bigger than my circumstances. Read more>>

Ericka Bates

I’ve always been a passionate and creative person. As a kid, I loved telling stories and was drawn to books and magazines early on. I even wanted to be a journalist because of Khadijah James. That love for storytelling stayed with me, and over the years I explored it through writing, radio, and contributing to online publications. Read more>>

Simone Wray

Sure, I honestly think entrepreneurship was always part of who I was. When I was little, I wasn’t really playing house like a lot of girls. I played office. I was filing papers, answering phones, and creating systems for things that didn’t even need systems. Looking back, all the signs were there. Read more>>

Jose Campos

I came to the US at the age of 17 without speaking English. I came on a tourist visa and after 6 months my visa expire and I became undocumented. I graduated from high school while working full time at a Taco Bell to pay for my rent. Mom and dad split and I started living on my own while finishing high school. Read more>>

Jenny Kalifa

I was born and raised in Amman, Jordan, and immigrated to the United States in September of 1974. Shortly after arriving, I began attending school and later graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia. While completing high school, I also attended beauty school and began developing my creative skills. My late husband, Sami, and I always shared a dream of owning our own business. Read more>>

Eleanora Hyde

My journey to photography actually started in front of the camera. I had wanted to be an actor since I was a little kid so over the years I had taken headshots with several professional photographers and even tried a bit of modeling. Read more>>

Ryan Preston Palmer

After graduating from Baltimore City College Highschool, I enrolled in Denison University (Granville, Ohio) and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theater (Performance Emphasis) and Economics. I obtained my Juris Doctor degree from University of Maryland School of Law and established RPPLAW in 2014. Read more>>

Gregory Dunlap

My journey didn’t begin in insurance. Like many people, I started with ambition, a passion for music, and a desire to build a meaningful future. In 1995, I entered the automotive industry, where I learned the importance of communication, trust, and helping people make major financial decisions. Read more>>

Christa Welch

I was raised by an incredible mom – Bettianne, our ‘original Betty’, who taught me strength, perseverance, and how to get back up when life knocks you down. I started Betty Center in her honor to share her indomitable spirit and remarkable legacy with others. My mom Bettianne was a trail blazer. A fierce advocate and forward thinker. Read more>>

Kaitlin Castor

Being born and raised in the Philippines, great food has always been a huge part of our lives. We would travel miles just to explore and enjoy different cuisines. Along the way, we fell in love with the Bánh Mì sandwich — its freshness, flavor, and how it was such an easy, satisfying go-to meal. Read more>>

Sheridan Costa

In 2013 I brought my dream of creating a contemporary art gallery and boutique in a converted old Polish convent and that’s where The Alchemy of Art started. Almost every month we’ve held a new exhibition with an opening reception on the first Thursday of each month along with countless courtyard craft and fleas, musical events and comedy events. Read more>>

Ben Gibson

I literally grew up in the hospitality industry—my family actually raised me as a baby in what is now our hotel’s office welcome wing. Eventually, my parents, who were incredibly talented innkeepers, built a house for us on the far side of our waterfront property. Read more>>

Benja Schnake

I am a musician based in New York, and originally from Chile. I started music when I was 10 year old, taking private guitar lessons, and playing with my brothers and friends. Read more>>

Jewel Hylton

A little background: I’m a young entrepreneur and Caribbean (Jamaican) immigrant who founded my company in October 2024 following a car accident that fractured my sternum. I was only three days into my first corporate job at a marketing agency when it happened. That experience shifted everything for me, and in the most unexpected ways. Read more>>

Belinda Green

After a deeply traumatic season in my life, I left the corporate world and found myself feeling completely lost. For a while, I didn’t know what came next. Most mornings, I would wake up early and watch the sunrise, simply because I needed to believe there was still something beautiful in the world. I did that for months. Read more>>

Claudia Chappel

I believe that all human beings are born with a unique gift. Mine is art. I cannot remember a time, even before kindergarten, that I wasn’t drawing, painting or making something out of little things I could find around my home. As I got older, art was always my best and favorite subject in school. Read more>>

ClrConscience

My story of becoming an artist is a complicated one. Ironically, pursuing music wasn’t something I had ever considered until college, even though I had an affinity for Hip Hop/Rap since I was introduced to it as a child. I memorized songs and performed them for my aunt, some of our family, and some of the kids at her daycare when I was little. Read more>>

Malachi Johnson

I have always had a passion for storytelling and a love for films and television. Creating stories has always been a talent of mine. Growing up in the 90’s, I was able to enjoy and golden era for movies as well as television. The movies and shows I grew up with helped shape my life as well as my creativity. Read more>>

Andrew Dunn

I started to create paper toys in 2011 as a way to share my passion for drawing and crafting with my two young children. My children’s love of Lego and Minecraft inspired me to design paper crafts that all children could build to create their own worlds. Read more>>

Isabelle Degraff

My journey into Pilates and wellness has been anything but linear. I’m a physical therapist by training, but movement and helping people feel at home in their bodies has always been at the center of what I do. Read more>>

Elyse Welles

I began studying the priestess arts intentionally in my journey to becoming a high priestess of the eclectic Faery Tradition of witchcraft in the Baltimore area. Over the past six years it has deepened into an integration of my lifelong connection to land spirits and what I’ve come to call the prehistoric earth temple arts of my homeland, Greece. Read more>>

Cortez Bull

Born and raised in West Baltimore, Maryland, Cortez Bull’s story is one of vision, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to creating opportunities for himself and others. A 2015 graduate of Milford Mill Academy, Cortez took his talents to Delaware State University, where he became a member of the legendary Approaching Storm Marching Band. Read more>>

Mekiel Miles

I’ve spent two decades leading in retail, managing multi-million dollar operations, and guiding teams through countless challenges. Yet, amidst all that structure, I found myself craving a deeper, more personal outlet for healing and growth. That’s where my journal was born. It’s the culmination of my own journey of releasing past chapters and welcoming new ones. Read more>>

Erica Parker

My name is Erica Parker, also known as LadyE. I am a Baltimore-based entrepreneur, licensed esthetician, healthcare professional, and proud mother. My journey began with a passion for beauty and helping others feel confident. What started as selling beauty products and building a brand eventually evolved into providing esthetic services, expanding my education, and pursuing a career in healthcare. Read more>>

Binyamin Guttman

I’ve been singing since I was a kid. My father and grandfather, though not professionally trained, both led services in the Synagogue for the High Holidays, so I guess that’s where I got the bug. I recall standing at the front with my dad at age 6, on a little stool, mimicking everything! Read more>>

Tiara Johnson

I am the Owner of Crowned Glamour Beauty, LLC, a beauty business that I officially launched in 2021. The inspiration behind the name is deeply personal. My name is Tiara, which is a type of crown, and I have always loved all things glam and beauty. Read more>>

Kelly Murray

I was a single mother, raised my kids in this town of Linthicum that I now have my shop in. This space was occupied by a hallmark store for the 40 years prior my sewing shop. People are still upset that they can’t buy candy here. Read more>>