Priyanka Chandra Sen was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1994. She recounted her upbringing, particularly her experiences navigating her dual American and Indian identity, from her parents maintaining Indian cultural norms at home while attempting to assimilate her within American society, to her own cultural encounters throughout her K-12 education in Orlando. She specifically remembered how she and the other few Indian girls tried to match a particular “American” aesthetic in an attempt to fit in. In 2013, Priyanka attended the University of Central Florida, initially studying pre-law and finance and switching to social media marketing. In this retelling, Priyanka emphasized the cultural stereotypes regarding professional careers and how she overcame them. After graduating from UCF in 2017, Priyanka worked for several companies in varied social media management positions, including Disney, NBC, and Give Kids the World Village. In addition to explaining the similarities and differences in approaches and skills with each job, Priyanka assessed more broadly the social media landscape and its cultural impact, especially important considering that she studied and worked during a decade in which the medium experienced rapid changes (c. 2010-2025). In 2014, Priyanka joined the Asian Cultural Association (ACA), describing how her role has shifted from photographing events to, at the time of the recording, serving as the director of marketing for the organization. She outlined the importance of the ACA for the Indian community in Orlando. Priyanka also discussed broader cultural changes and continuities in Orlando since the early 2000s.

Mayor Jerry L. Demings was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1959. He recounted his upbringing throughout the 1960s and early 1970s in Washington Shores, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Orlando. He recollected memories of his father working as a taxi driver for twelve hours a day, seven days a week, and his mother as a housemaid, all while both of them operated several small businesses within their communities to make ends meet. He described how the larger Civil Rights Movement influenced him personally and impacted his community more broadly, meeting several important civil rights figures when they visited Orlando. Mayor Demings recalled his schooling experience and how he navigated the transition from segregation to integration in Orange County public schools. He attended Jones High School from 1974 to 1977, sharing a particular harrowing incident after a game in a visiting school that expressed objections to Jones High’s racially mixed athletics team. Mayor Demings returned to Orlando in 1980 after graduating from Florida State University. He explained how he ended up in the Orlando Police Department, an institution he proudly served for over twenty years. He explained various initiatives that he created and led during his time serving in the Orlando Police Department, including Orlando’s first bicycle patrol, a Boy Scout Troop program, and others. In 1998, then-mayor of Orlando Glenda E. Hood appointed Demings as Orlando's Chief of Police, making him the first African-American to serve in that position. Demings landed several public positions that made him the first Black person to occupy such titles—including his current status as the Mayor of Orange County—and he discussed the significance of such breakthroughs personally and within a larger racial context, given his background from the Civil Rights Era. Since he has essentially spent his entire life in Orlando and has served in prominent public positions throughout Orange County, Mayor Demings articulated a deep understanding of the area’s social, cultural, and political milieu and how it has changed throughout his life. Lastly, Mayor Demings briefly shared his working book project, tentatively titled “Black in Blue at the Top.”