< Previous20 AZFOOTHILLS.COM On the Cover Afi like Taffy, Photographed by Nicole Dawn It’s Time For You To Meet... 28. THE ARTISTS 44. THE BUSINESS OWNERS 53. THE LEADERS 58. THE ORGANIZATIONS 60. THE RISING Fin 82. FIN: SOUTHERN COMFORT PIES THE ISSUE In Thi IssueFeatures THE ISSUE 76. Shot by Sade Photography My camera has shot every possible subject, including nature, family, and sports, but my primary specialty has always been fashion, beauty, and portrait photography. SHARELLE WILBERT 62. Afi Like Taffy Afiniki Maita, or Afi Like Taffy as she’s known in the social media world, is the lovely bubbly influencer & fashion stylist you need to know! 71. Black-Owned Businesses To keep you fit and healthy. Urban Hydration. Kabaki Kenyan Purple Tea. The Restroom Kit. Beautifully Bamboo 22 AZFOOTHILLS.COM NIC OLE D A WN Discover. Live. Play. Specializing in North Scottsdale, Desert Mountain, Paradise Valley and surrounding areas. Joanie Barreiro 480.235.2776 joanie.barreiro@russlyon.com DesertMountainJoanie.com y essence of extraordinaryAt Wipliance, we provide the latest home and commercial automation services for our very discerning clients in Washington, LA and Arizona. And we know attention to the details matter. We work with homeowners and business owners to off er the latest in advanced lighting and shading control, audio video systems, and smart automation solutions. We’ll help you discover the solutions that work for your lifestyle. seattle l scottsdale TM wipliance.com 480.771.5500 audio video systems smart automation networking systems lighting control window treatments security systems Audio, Video & Automation Design and Installation Experts photo courtesy of Control4 INTEGRATOR OF THE YEARTYLER HOLLIS Acting-Editor-In-Chief Tyler Hollis 26 AZFOOTHILLS.COM Cierra Luna is a graduate student at Arizona State University, pursuing a degree in sports journalism. Some things she loves about her college program are telling athletes stories, humanizing them, and reminding the public they are more than just what they do on the field or court. Cierra is grateful to learn alongside her talented peers at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and be mentored by the All-Star staff of professionals in the sports industry. Her favorite sports are baseball and college football, and she hopes to one day work for a professional sports team on the business side of the organiza- tion. Her dream job would either work in college football recruitment or as an NFL scout or for the Los Angeles Dodgers. I know what you are thinking, who is this kid, and why is he the Acting-Editor-In- Chief of AZFoothills Magazine? However, I am not going to sit here and talk about myself. If you wish to know me, then we can chat on some other platform. This issue is CERTAINLY not about me. I want to say thank you to EVERY person in these pages who took a chance, stood by me, and allowed me to curate “The Issue.” I could not have done it without the creative, beautiful, intellectual, entrepreneu- rial, and inspiring individuals who blessed me by gracing these pages. Many underrepresented groups in the media industry need allies, which is all I aspire to be. There is still a lot of work to be done to diversify this team, and ACTUALLY, be a safe public forum for EVERYONE within this state and country. We can only move forward, and I hope you will stand with us today, as we move to a more loving and tolerant future. Please enjoy and read through this issue. Again, I thank you. contributor WRITER CIERRA LUNA Promotions 526k Friends - And Counting! INS T A GRAM: @AZFOO THILLS @BES T OFOURV ALLEY #AZFOO THILL S #BES T OFOUR V ALLEY letter FRO M THE EDIT ORe1 6990 e shea blvd scottsdale 480.500.5889 e2 10155 e via linda scottsdale ranch 480.993.3449 e3 20775 n pima rd scottsdale 480.219.8344 e4 2430 s gilbert rd chandler 480.361.9275 www.eggstasyaz.com eggstasy breakfast • lunch • mimosas eggstasy_azEggstasy28 AZFOOTHILLS.COM THE ARTISTS THE BUSINESS OWNERS THE LEADERS THE ORGANIZATIONS THE RISING MONICA ALEXANDRA IS A MOM, MODEL, BURLESQUE PERFORMER AND REAL ESTATE AGENT. Alvin Johnson @azfoothills #azfoothills 29 Alvin Johnson is a photographer concentrating on capturing in the moment images. Whether shooting portraits, sporting events, or conven- tions, his eye is looking for the image that will define the moment. Having been mentored by great photographers with over 20 years of shooting experience, he learned to draw inspiration from each artist. Next >