People Profiles

Growing up in an Italian and Colombian household, Valentina Mussi developed a love for international foods, but she never thought she would transform that appreciation into a full-time job. Now 21, Mussi commands the attention of more than 100,000 Instagram users with her hundreds of lavish, over-the-top food-focused photos and videos on her account, @SweetPortfolio.

There are days, by his own admission, when the seemingly never-ending battles against hate, discrimination and extremism take their toll on David Barkey. But as the Southeastern area counsel for the Anti-Defamation League quickly points out, “sticking your head in the sand isn’t going to help.” “Nothing is going to change unless people of goodwill

He doesn’t mind being knee-deep in algae. In fact, scientist H. Dail Laughinghouse will tell you it’s where he feels most comfortable. But Laughinghouse admits to having his “Oh, my gosh. This is what I do for a living?” moments from time to time. “So, there I was at Lion Country Safari [in Loxahatchee] sitting

Anna Noriega doesn’t believe in luck—hates the word, actually. To her, making it in life is a matter of commitment, dedication and hard work in pulling what you want from the universe. But Noriega admits there was something serendipitous about her being in the right place at the right time when she accompanied her friend

When Joseph Zolobczuk thinks about being bullied at his religious school in New York, he remembers the pain of hiding himself. “I didn’t even know what gay was,” he says. “I thought I liked girls like all the other guys did because that’s what all the guys talked about. In an environment where I got

With greater attendance comes greater responsibility, or so it would seem for Joe Cox in his role as president and CEO of the Museum of Discovery and Science. The sprawling facility in downtown Fort Lauderdale attracts more than 400,000 people each year—more than double the number of annual visitors at the EcoTarium Museum of Science

He is the grandmaster of his destiny, and Jean Phoenix Le Grand believes anyone can be the master of their own fate, too. “It’s about respect, values, consistency, integrity, obedience, and learning what your life’s purpose is,” he says. That’s what Le Grand teaches in his program, Lost Legacy Systems, in addition to martial arts

When Betty Alonso’s colleague and Neighbors 4 Neighbors creator Nelly Rubio nominated Alonso for a leadership award, the president and CEO of ConnectFamilias was working too hard to think much about it. It wasn’t until Alonso got a call informing her she was selected as one of 13 Hispanic Women of Distinction that the honor

It’s late in a riveting and revealing interview with Kate Mulgrew when the award-winning actress who brings such nuance to her portrayal of “Red” Reznikov on “Orange is the New Black” unexpectedly pivots. She wants to correct a misconception about the more-than-three-year journey that resulted in her recently released book, How to Forget: A Daughter’s

When Michelle Forman prank-called strangers with friends as a child, bothering them for a laugh was the last thing on her mind. Instead, she shared hope with them. “I would sing ‘Imagine’ to them,” the Miami native says. “I know that’s cheesy and sounds silly, but that’s where my mind and heart was … .”

Lead photo by Eduardo Schneider   While Caryn Lubetsky ran the Boston Marathon in 2013, her husband and three young children eagerly awaited her arrival at the finish line. It was her first race in Massachusetts, and she had spent months training to ensure she would qualify. Once she completed the marathon, her life changed

Everything in life is a choice, except death and taxes. If you choose to perceive something negatively, that’s your choice. I choose to see the good. You have one life to live. Why not look at things in a way that propels you instead of stopping you?   For much of my life, I had