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Kenneth Antonio Rivera

Kenneth Antonio Rivera

Ken is an art teacher and artist who works at Hiawatha as a bilingual educational assistant. His life experiences are varied and inspiring.

Born: Los Angeles, CA, United States
Heritage: Hispanic
Themes:

My words of advice would be to really work hard at school, stay positive. Continue your education like go to college, but don’t overwork yourself. Always have some time on your own to reflect and spend time thinking about what you want to do. Follow your heart, follow your dreams, don’t forget them. Surround yourself with good people that are supportive. There’s going to be a lot of times that life gets hard, but you gotta remember to smile and think about all those good memories you have.

Kenneth Antonio Rivera

Ken is an art teacher and artist who works at Hiawatha as a bilingual educational assistant. His life experiences are varied and inspiring.

My name is Kenneth Antonio Rivera. I was born in Los Angeles. My family started in Nicaragua, which is in Central America right below Mexico. My family had a farm. Before I was born there was a war there, so my family had to move here to America to escape the war. We ended up in Los Angeles, California.

I was the first person from my family to be born in the United States. I have five older brothers and sisters and two little brothers. So there are eight kids total. I remember one time when I was two or three years old my dad took me to the ocean. I remember him carrying me to the ocean and the waves coming and he said, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.” The waves just kept coming and I ducked my head.

When I was eight years old my father was killed during a robbery. I remember waking up and being scared. I was very sad for a long time. My mom had to work after my dad died. She did a lot of working at hotels and cleaning. She tried to find jobs just to work and make a living. She basically raised us on her own.

There were a lot of gangs and lots of crime where I grew up. I would get scared ‘cause there were all these tough kids around the neighborhood. They would intimidate people so you would feel like you had to join a gang. I remember taking different streets just to get to my house so I wouldn’t have to run into the bad gangs.

I went to elementary school down in south Los Angeles. It was just like Hiawatha. I loved playing basketball. I loved math and reading but my favorite subject was history. I love hearing history. When I was around ten, I used to get into trouble a lot. So instead of just taking a time out and staring at the wall, they used to make me draw or write something. So I would sit in the corner and draw.

When I became middle school aged, I actually moved to downtown LA. I got bussed out to the valley, which was like growing up in the downtown and being bussed to a school that is really nice. I really liked the difference going from a little poor town to a nice new school. I tried to work harder.

High school was tough for me because I didn’t have my dad around. But I did have my older brothers that took care of me. I also played sports. Playing basketball and football helped me stay away from the bad stuff. I felt like my coach and friends helped keep me safe from gangs. That’s why I never joined a gang.

After high school I worked on an ambulance. I still wanted to get a different job so I went back to college.

I was studying to be a PE coach. I wanted to coach basketball and football. But when I was in college I started to like art again. That was something I was always good at. So I decided to go into my art career. I transferred to Cal State in Los Angeles. I got my art degree. Then I got my Masters in Art Education.

I was trying to find a job after college and it was really tough in California. My brother lives in Minnesota and told me to come here. I felt like coming to a different city was something really exciting. I got a job working at Anderson School in 2010. My friends, who are all art teachers, and I wanted to spend some time together so we opened up an art studio. We make art and put it up for sale. I do a lot of portraits of my friends and family and I still draw basketball.

In 2012 I came to Hiawatha School. I’m just here helping yous guy out with your reading and your writing. It helps me feel like part of being back in my community back home.

HONOR SONG LYRICS

Like A Wave Out On The Ocean

Honoring Kenneth Antonio Rivera

Like A Wave Out On The Ocean
(Honoring Kenneth Rivera)

There were gangs around my house.
When I was alone
Trying to get home
Walked down a different street
So I wouldn’t meet
Gangs around my house
Who tried to bring me in
When I was a kid
Played basketball
When I was small
I used to get in trouble
When I did they made me draw
That’s when I discovered
Who I am, what I’ve been called
To do in life
To do in life
To feel all right
To feel all right
With a pencil and pen
With a pencil and pen
Let’s be friends
Like a wave out on the ocean
My father told me
To not worry
In his arms
Keeping me from harm
Like a wave out on the ocean
When father died
Hard to get by
So mom had to go
Work outside the home
At hotels, cleaning
Until us kids were grown
With eight sons and daughters
She raised us on her own
With a smile
With a smile
Run that mile
Run that mile

For somebody else
For somebody else
Not just for yourself
Like a wave out on the ocean
Open up your heart
Open up your heart
Open up your mind
Open up your mind
To that love
To that love
You have inside
Like a wave out on the ocean
Be positive
Be positive
Follow your dreams
Follow your dreams
With your heart
With your heart
Spread your wings
Like a wave out on the ocean
Don’t be scared
Don’t be scared
Love is there
Love is there
Don’t hold it in
Don’t hold it in
Let’s be friends
Like a wave out on the ocean

I used to get in trouble
Until I learned to draw

Music by LARRY LONG
Words by LARRY LONG with Becky Schultz 3rd Grade Class, Hiawatha Elementary School (Minneapolis, Minnesota).

© Larry Long Publishing 2013 / BMI