Mike Ross

Mike Ross is a person who can channel his creativity and transform it into a beautiful reality. He is an award-winning artist, developer, engineer and visual designer who is taking his craft to the world. 

Mike grew up on the East Coast with learning disabilities and was diagnosed with Autism. During his junior year of high school, he first started working on creative projects. There, he was exposed to a program called the Center for Technology, in which he was able to explore his palette. This was the first time he was "learning by doing" in his academic journey.

Upon graduating from high school, he started taking college classes; that type of work, expressionism, and creativity never stopped. He remarks, “I'm always studying just so I can stay up-to-date on the latest and greatest trends in the creative realm and because I loved every bit of conceptualising a new idea or project and bringing it to life with visual flair and functionality. My work and portfolio continue, but I am now invested in social impact-driven initiatives in which I enjoy building models and businesses around an idea or product aimed at benefiting others.” 

Over the years, Mike has taken the lead on multiple projects, some personal and some with a large audience. He has gained a lot of experience breaking down goals into actionable steps to develop a projection timeline highlighting when certain sub-goals and milestones should be met. 

He feels we often get fixated on the end game, where we want to be. Still, he has developed protocols that act as much-needed preliminary objectives that can better align the individual with their vision and put them in a better position to take their next big step and, hopefully, a bit more seamlessly. He also instilled the mindset of turning one's ideas and concepts into a story or mission statement, allowing individuals to refine better what objectives are deemed necessary and ones that can fade into the background.


He loves to absorb what others have to say so he can understand their position and gauge what he needs to do for them. He is huge on relationship-building and will prioritize all communication as friendship and alliance before going in for the "hard sell."

In business, it is especially important to create a mutually binding understanding of one another and to understand that everyone has a story to tell. He mentions, “We all just tell it a little bit differently, which is exciting to think about. When transacting with a client, a business associate, or anyone you plan on working with, understanding their journey allows you to appreciate their destination and how they got there. At this point, it's easier to discuss each other's needs.”

Most times, the clients don't have to say verbally that he has provided them with a good service or product, as it's evident in their very nature of recommending him for ongoing projects. These clients also come back to work with him a multitude of times. These gestures of appreciation are great, but the longevity of our work history together is one way he likes to measure the impact that has been created.

In other experiences, he recalls, “I had worked on getting a children's book together to be print-ready for a client that was eager to share it with her nieces (and others), and she had sent me a video of the final product with her reading it to them one night. This was more than enough thanks, and one of those moments that becomes unforgettable.”

Mike feels that communication as a two-way transaction is crucial through dialogue exchanges and getting to know what works for either party. Naturally, there can be a learning curve in understanding what a client needs and prefers for many different things. He says, “Maybe that's working hours, tools used, or even how to approach processes for the objectives. Of course, I prioritize this relationship and understanding their stance. Still, some preliminary relationship-building necessities need to be done for new clientele before proceeding.” 

Mike spends a lot of my time studying and absorbing information, and to add integrity to the amount of information he retains, he always notes and saves sources of where the information comes from. He even compiles resources for reference for himself and when working with others. When meeting with others, he will often write down as much as possible and elaborate on it further. These methodologies effectively pull from a "database" of information he has collected over time.

He loves educating others so much that he looks for opportunities to do so pro bono. He enjoys "offloading" expertise and getting someone better aligned with their goals and objectives. He remarks, “This isn't just through verbal communications but to make sure the recipient can understand me; I also create other mediums to articulate my ideas. This could be done by preparing documents, strategic plans, and visual mock-ups. There's an added benefit: once I put my thoughts out onto other mediums, I can see where I might need to further address specific ideas or concepts, so it's a great way of seeing beyond the initial thought.” 

Here are some of the awards and accolades received by Mike Ross over the years: 

- Top Visionary and Impactful Leaders Making a Wave in 2025, The Education View 
- The Most Impactful and Visionary Personality to Look for in 2025, Insights Success
- Excellence in Education, 2025
- Global Icons 2024, Passion Vista
- Emerging Leaders Program, Los Angeles County, 2019
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Los Angeles County, 2019
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Los Angeles County, 2016
- Best of Quarter, Digital Identity Design | The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, 2011
- Best of Quarter, Intermediate Authoring | The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, 2011
- Best of Quarter, Intermediate Web Design  | The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles,2011
- Best of Quarter, Digital Illustration  | The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles, 2010

Mike shares his profound wisdom and says, “In a world becoming more divided, we must unite as one, a pre-requisite to creating a change we want to see. It's okay to zoom out a little bit. What I mean by that is to take something you are passionate about changing that grabs your attention, then take a step back, look at the bigger picture, and strive to determine the system that supports that one thing. Then, study that system to understand the root problems and make that your focal point to positive change.”