Meet Tiana Shern, a TikTok dance sensation with over a million international followers — and counting. Born and raised in Markham, Ont., the 26-year-old Chinese Canadian started her dancing career relatively late in life. But her passion for and dedication to mixed-style hip-hop choreography have since taken her far. Based in Toronto, Shern frequently travels to Vancouver and Los Angeles to work with local dancers while honing her own dance skills through continuous training. For her, dance isn’t just a popular social trend. It’s a powerful form of interpersonal communication that brings people together, regardless of cultural background or body type. 

A singer-songwriter whose passion for music is as infectious as her down-to-earth personality, Yoyo Sham is a talent on the move. When she sings the above lyric from Come What May, a Cantonese song written for her by manager Chan Wing Him, she’s not just performing. She’s giving soulful expression to her own reality as a culturally nomadic artist. As the jazz/pop/folk singer said herself in a conversation I had with her following her appearance at this past year’s Fête Chinoise Lunar New Year Gala in Toronto, she has been shaped by her constant travels around the world. Sham sings in Cantonese, English and Mandarin, languages reflecting her musical and life journey so far.

When the green flag drops at the top of a race, Samantha Tan feels the adrenaline coursing through her veins. The 26-year-old motorsport professional knows the course like the back of her hand and at this point, any doubts she might have had about how to navigate it have vanished. Her focus becomes laser-sharp as she revs to the finish line.

What is the secret to being a young and successful entrepreneur? According to Derrick Fung, CEO and founder of the Drop digital loyalty platform and a past Forbes 30 Under 30, it’s all about grit and hustle — what he learned first-hand from his immigrant parents while growing up in Canada. 

Alex Porat is on the cusp of greatness. Raised in both Toronto and Vancouver, the 26-year-old Canadian soft pop singer-songwriter began her musical journey recording covers of hit songs in her bedroom just over a decade ago, posting them on YouTube where her crystalline voice, tremulous vulnerability and alluring physical presence quickly attracted more than a million global subscribers. Today, Porat is the artist other artists are getting excited about.

Born into a family of mixed Asian heritage (her mother is Samoan-Hawaiian, and her father Singaporean-Chinese), Eva Chin was raised on her grandmother’s farm in Kahuku, Hawaii. Growing up, she learned how to harvest vegetables, fish and prepare seafood. She also became familiar with a variety of cuisines and cooking styles, from Thai to Portuguesae to Japanese. But becoming a chef wasn’t a given.