PERLA RIVERA

Perla Rivera was born on March 6, 1992, in Meriden, CT. At the young age of three, her biological mother passed away from heart complications. During this transition in her life, her biological father took her to Puerto Rico to live with him and his family. After a year and a half, Perla’s biological father decided to give up his parental rights as a father. At this time, he brought her back to CT where she would be given to the custody of her maternal grandmother, Virginia. She loved Perla, but she was a challenging child and it was difficult for her to raise her because of her behaviors and their low-income socioeconomic status. Therefore, when Perla was nine, Virginia gave custody to her older sister, Charito, and her husband, Gilberto. This is when things started to change for Perla. She started attending church every Sunday with her family, and at the age of nine she accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into her heart as her Lord and Savior. From then on, she would continue to serve the Lord in different aspects within the church including leadership roles in her church youth group. She has held positions such as secretary, treasurer, Vice President, and President. At her church organization’s district level, she worked with the leadership board of the youth as Treasurer. She has also been part of the worship team at the church and district level in the organization for the youth. She has also graduated from 3rd year of seminary school. Currently, Perla is the Sunday School teacher for the kid’s ministry at the church her parents pastor. Secularly, Perla has earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Saint Leo University. At this time, she is a math teacher at Gray Middle School for 7th and 8th grade. After her day as a teacher, she works at the YMCA After School Program for the middle schoolers. She hopes to one day become an administrator, and open up her own school. Perla would not be where she is today without all the adversity, pain, suffering, trials, tribulations, hunger, almost homelessness, poverty, rejection, feeling unloved, and so much more that she has gone through in her life. She hopes to inspire other young children and adolescents that their current state in life does not determine their future. She wishes for them to feel loved, seen, valued, important, and that they matter. If this young Puerto Rican girl can go from not having much clothing, barely food to eat, and seeing her family on the verge of going to a shelter, transformed into a determined, hard working, successful student and woman of God, they can too. Like the word of God tells us, “There is nothing impossible for God.”