This is a picture of Luis Rivera from 2013 (He is second from the right in the blue shirt). At the time, he was serving as the coordinator for the injury prevention program at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. He would travel to schools, child care centers, and anywhere else he could in Hartford, teaching kids about home safety, bicycle safety, pedestrian safety and distributing bike helmets and car seats. His tireless outreach did not go unnoticed and resulted in him winning a neighborhood service award.

At the very event this picture was taken, Luis looked around and was inspired. “I wanted to do more,” Luis said.  He wanted to be able to manage larger programs impacting the health of kids. He resolved to further his education to obtain the credentials that would allow him to do just that. He ended up going to the UConn School of Social Work where he overcame challenges and obtained his MSW in 2017. From there he was able to become the manager of the Safe Kids Connecticut program for four years at Connecticut Children’s. Last year he was promoted to the leadership team at Connecticut Children’s in the Office of Child Health as a community relations manager where he continues to use his heart for the community and gift of connection to impact the world. See below for a picture of Luis in his new role.

And Luis is not done. He plans to go and pursue his doctorate in social policy.

Remarkable people don’t become that way overnight. There is a journey. His began in Puerto Rico. Luis and his family moved to Hartford when he was 8 years old. He went to M.D Fox Middle School and graduated from Bulkeley High School. During these years he developed his faith in God and belief that we are made to love and help others. He attributes this faith and belief as the engine that drives him to care for his community today.

He went to community college then got a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Eastern Connecticut State University. Luis could have left Hartford if he wanted to, but he chose to stay and still lives here today. “To leave is the easy way out,” Luis said. “You’re giving up. If you stay you can be a part of creating the solution.”

I asked Luis what he hoped people would take away from his story. This is what he said and these are the words I will leave you with:

“That it is never too late to follow your goals. I got my masters after I had turned 30. All of the hard work pays off. All of the little things you do add up to something bigger”.