Clad in a faded Star Wars T-shirt, Kevin Hernandez begins introducing elated kids to Darth Vader and Rey Skywalker in the flesh. The children start getting light saber training from these live-action characters, slashing and twirling their replica space swords around the heart of Denio’s Farmers Market & Swap Meet.

We hit Canon’s happy hour for a real conversation with our Young Professionals honorees.

With Vite Ramen, co-founder and CEO Tim Zheng set out to create a nutritious instant food product. He also manufactured it ethically and designed the recipe to be faithful to classic Japanese ramen styles.

Dustin Vicari is executive vice president for Elevate Sports Ventures and holds a dual role as Sacramento Republic FC’s chief revenue officer.

Jayden Sangha is approaching his role as assistant chief financial officer of the City of Stockton from a community perspective, applying everything he’s learned in his previous positions in both private and public sectors.

As a field representative for Congressman Ami Bera, Sergio Robles is Bera’s eyes and ears in the south Sacramento region. He also shapes policy as Elk Grove’s planning commissioner.

As director of Stockton’s Office of Performance and Data Analytics, Regan puts the vast amount of city data to work to improve equity and quality of life for the citizens of the city.

As founder and CEO of Eco-Alpha Environmental and Engineering Services, Melanie Okoro is focused on being a leader in her field. Her business streamlines environmental permitting processes and maintains electrical systems for large companies in the Capital Region.

Before most people had fully realized the gravity of COVID-19, Kevin McAllister, executive director of Meals on Wheels, was already stocking up on supplies for the program. His preparedness paid off.