Just a few years ago, Samantha Gordon made the decision to ditch her nine-to-five job and become her own boss. 

“You’re too pretty to be a scientist.” “I can’t believe you’re a scientist.” “You’re that smart?” These are the types of comments Dr. Allie Folcik started to receive as she pursued her PhD. Now, she has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry with a minor in sustainability, has a PhD in toxicology and is a year into her job as an environmental consultant.

During the week, Jess Wicks is a high school teacher, and on weekends, she spends her time creating recipes and content for her Instagram page and her small business, Sourced Sustainability. 

Darya Zorka initially earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, but she left that line of work to pursue her true passion as an artist. She dedicated years to taking art classes and honing her craft, eventually posting her art on Instagram and opening an Etsy shop. Her career began to build as she gained followers and customers. Then, on Feb. 24, everything changed.

I am Jennifer Molina. I have Bachelor’s in Teaching and Learning; Amadeus Sales & Event Management Certified. I’ve known for some time that I wanted to get into the blogger/content creator industry. A little over eight years ago, I started seeing my sorority sisters from college post their outfits on social media. They got to travel with brands and share their experiences. While I am not a fashionista, I knew I wanted to do something similar.

I started my blog in 2012 shortly after I got married. At that time, it was called loveallthingsfashion.com then I rebranded to claudiacandelas.com.