Path to Purpose

A native of Indianapolis, Janelle grew up during the dot com boom. The internet opened up her eyes to the world outside of America and a global career in Asia became her goal from a young age. Yet when she finally landed a job that would virtually secure a path to the United Nations, she realized that it was not what she had envisioned. So as an avid gamer, she instead jumpstarted a career at Riot Games, creator of the very popular online game League of Legends. Two dream jobs later in very different fields, Janelle is now the founder of her own fashion brand Stellari, focusing on sustainable, functional, fashionable apparel.

Thomas grew up in Texas, where he majored in journalism and attended law school. But after a few years as a commercial litigator, he grew to accept that despite his best efforts, this was not a path he wanted to continue. As he reflected on his next steps, little did he expect that his experience in founding his undergraduate fraternity during college would become a huge source of inspiration and direction for his next chapter. Now Thomas is the co-founder and owner of Peli Peli South African Kitchen, one of Houston’s best-rated restaurants serving exciting flavors since 2009.

Darryl was born in the Philippines but immigrated with his family to the US at a young age. After graduating with a degree in psychology, he spent many years in financial services. Despite achieving the financial wealth he had always wanted, the nature of the work made him deeply unhappy. So he left, right before the Great Recession hit. After some time off, he held (and excelled at) jobs in waste management and property management. Those offered him a lot of free time so he bought a remote control airplane as a hobby, a throwback to his childhood obsession with aviation. One thing led to another.. and now, he’s the CEO and founder of Action Drone Inc.