Founder, Makeena Rivers is a licensed clinical social worker born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She earned her Master’s in Social Work at Columbia University where her studies focused on developing and evaluating programs impacted by systemic issues of our time.

In addition to completing her Bachelor’s in Psychology and Sociology, Makeena spent her undergraduate studies at Emory engaged in initiatives advocating for justice, implementing, and representing marginalized students’ voices for department head administrators.

Her lens is shaped by working with a diverse range of people in diverse settings. She has worked as an educator for young children and adults alike. Her work is shaped by experience working with organizations supporting environmental justice, mental health and wellness.

As multi-hyphenate actor, writer, and model, Makeena incorporates the profound power of art and creativity into how she moves through all the other areas of work.

As a staunch believer that each of us has the power to impact our communities and create the world we want to see, To Face The Sun’s rooted in a sensitivity to the intersection of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and the various systemic forms of oppression that impact the way we relate to one another.