When we set out to create a list of the most prominent young Asian Americans, it started, like most of our stories do, with a staff chat. The final list, which was heavily debated (is he/she still relevant? is his/her work role-model worthy?), is a product I’m extremely proud of. We always knew we wouldn’t have a problem coming up with a great group of names, but what I’m most happy with is the sheer amount of diversity we came across—age, ethnicity, profession and more. I won’t even get into the amazing people we couldn’t include because they were—gasp—26 or older. We hope that the potential people to add to this list just keeps growing, growing, and growing—tell us in the comments who you’d like to see the next time we do this!

Just two years ago, Justin Nozuka was recording an album, performing in Europe, and…being a teenager? Born in New York City and raised in Toronto, the 20- year-old singer/songwriter has already accomplished what many simply dream. His debut album, “Holly,” was released in the U.S. this past April, and his first single, “After Tonight” has quickly sold over 125,000 downloads.