Samsung has long been a steadfast force for innovation, in Texas and around the world. For the past 23 years, Samsung has planted roots in Texas, embracing the state’s independent spirit to advance the digital frontier. In this series, we highlight Texans who embody that spirit.
7 Independent Texans Breaking Boundaries
Brought to you by Samsung

Illustration by Israel Vargas

Amidst rising rapidly through the ranks of the business world after college, Steve Wanta “hit his quarter-life crisis, hard.” Wanta left his well-paying job, joined the Peace Corps, and set off across the globe on what would become a multi-decade endeavor to tackle world poverty head on.

As a child, Houston graffiti artist and street art pioneer Mario E. Figueroa, Jr., known to the public as GONZO247, always found himself listening to the music of others, never to anything he could call his own.

“Something to make measurements, something to cut with, and something to join.” Three basic tools, plus motivation, is all anyone needs to become a maker according to woodworking Do-It-Yourself Youtube star, April Wilkerson.

When Lufkin-born east Texas native Mike Rufail quit his commercial television job and decided to dive headfirst into professional competitive video gaming, his parents were a little concerned. We didn’t yet have mega-rich teen Youtube stars and online streaming platforms back then; the path to pro gaming success was much narrower and steeper than it is today.

As a teen, Siete President Veronica Garza adopted a grain-free diet as a result of her autoimmune disorders, and her entire family joined in alongside her. Today, she and her brother Miguel work together providing delicious grain-free tortillas and other alternative Mexican-American food staples to stores across the nation.

As the head coach of the nationally recognized Navarro cheer team and star of Netflix docuseries CHEER, Monica Aldama, uses her background in business and finance to score big and win championships.