Reps. Ruiz, Aguilar Honor Inland Empire Giant & IEFLP Founder Dr. Tom Rivera on House Floor 

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-36) and Pete Aguilar (CA-31) took to the House floor to honor the late Dr. Tom Rivera, the founder of the Inland Empire Future Leaders Program (IEFLP) and a pillar of the Inland Empire community. In 1985, Dr. Rivera and fellow educators founded IEFLP to address high drop-out rates of Hispanic youth in the Inland Empire. Reps. Ruiz and Aguilar, both graduates of the program, paid tribute to Dr. Rivera, who passed away last month on March 8, 2022.

"I stand here today because of Dr. Tom," Rep. Ruiz said. "I am forever indebted to Dr. Tom for his unyielding devotion to my growth and the success of my peers. He was always there to motivate us, to celebrate us, and to give us a smile when we needed it most. He gave us a family – a familia – in which we found reassurance and strength."

"For more than fifty years, Dr. Tom Rivera served our community as an educator, administrator, and community leader," Rep. Aguilar said. "Dr. Tom gave working class kids like me a chance to make a better life for ourselves and for our families. And he taught us that no matter where life takes us, never lose sight of our heritage and our culture, and always give back to our community."

You can watch Reps. Ruiz and Aguilar's speeches here.

About IEFLP:

Over the past thirty-eight years, IEFLP has provided summer leadership development conferences for almost 4,500 Latino eighth- and ninth-grade students from throughout the Inland Empire.

IEFLP has had tremendous success, leading 99% of Future Leaders to graduate from high school and 90% to attend college. What's more, most participants graduate in the top 15% of their senior class.

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