Scroll long enough through social media and debates appear about how this generation works: soft life on one side, hustle on the other; nine-to-five or all hours and no sleep. Legacy South Florida’s 2026 Class of 40 Under 40 answers with a third option. They’re not hustling — they’re building.
Across medicine, music, government, and staffing, they are purposefully creating their legacies in South Florida. What unites them is a clear vision of the future and the determination to build it.
Take Hassan Thomas. To him, “Hustle culture is not dead, it’s well and alive.” Through HRT Enterprises he built the financial literacy brand FYI FLI into an award-winning podcast with listeners in more than 50 countries. He also creates financial wellness education for student-athletes at iGrad. “We’re putting our time and our energy in areas that we truly care about.”
Ray White followed his passion into public service. As communications director for Broward County Commissioner Alexandra P. Davis, the 26 year old circulates grants, scholarships, and career openings to residents across three cities every week. He tells the district’s story through his own photography and video. “You never truly know your purpose until you start stepping out in it,” he says.
Like many in this year’s class, Oluchi Obiesie had the vision while still in high school. “I just wanted to reach the height of everything that I do,” she says.
The first-generation Nigerian American followed her mother and grandmother’s example and chose the medical field. First she earned her CNA, then went on to become a nurse practitioner. She now works in the preventive side of medicine, catching diseases early enough to change outcomes.
Jakari Lucas found success in the music industry early and then redefined it. Seeing an opportunity, he built an independent production company, Exit 36 Productions, to release his own music. He then expanded to provide production services for other artists. Video and live events came next, and the FAMU graduate is already looking at what follows. “All of the best companies, as they grow, all of them have to pivot,” he says.
Ebony Tyre knows that firsthand. She graduated from college planning to publicize artists, came home to work at the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, then left to pursue an opportunity in Atlanta. She returned again and took a job in an industry she knew nothing about. Reflecting on her journey, she says, “Success isn’t linear.” She learned the new job fast and now serves as senior manager of public relations and communications at Visit Lauderdale.
Drive? Sharry Bain’s got it. “I am going for everything that I want,” she says, “and I’m going to knock the door down.” She’s proving it, having built an executive operations career that took her from a Fortune 500 logistics giant to chief of staff supporting the C-suite. The inaugural Ms. Black United States, a member of The Links, Incorporated and an American Heart Association Women of Impact nominee, is eyeing her next achievement — a doctorate in executive leadership.
Riley Simmons opens those doors for a living. He started Authenus Staffing in 2017 on his stepfather’s living room floor. The firm now places workers with businesses and government agencies from Coral Springs across the East Coast and into the Midwest. “I became a trusted partner with those organizations,” he says, “bridging the gap between talent and opportunities and the communities that we serve.”
Several other trailblazers in the 2026 Class range in professions from mental health to law, beauty to technology. Dr. Porshia Cunningham is strengthening the community through her family therapy practice, Rooted Therapy. In the same spirit, hairstylist Giszelle Williams built a business at age 15 that is now being recognized nationally for her work with Black hair.
Danielle Doss, CEO of Second Chance Society, and Sukeenah Simmons, founder of Juneteenth of Palm Beach County, provide their communities with essential services. Likewise, Kelly Nathaniel-Leroy Scurry and Reno Pierre put their drive into law. Scurry built his own Broward firm and Pierre practices at Greenberg Traurig. Joshua Johnson keeps small businesses standing as principal of All-In IT, protecting the operations that power that community.
The professionals represented in Legacy South Florida’s 2026 Class of 40 Under 40 do not fit generalizations served up by an algorithm. Instead, they’re the ones to follow. Turning ambition into impact, and impact into legacy, they represent a generation that understands that the real measure of success is not how far you go, but how much farther you make it possible for others to go.
