 "The
thing that matters most to me is God," said Victor Rivera,
"and that he came and he died for my sins. If you want to write
something about me and introduce me to other people, that's what I
would want to be first and foremost, that's the most important thing
in my life."
Rivera, a 17-year-old high school senior and honors student at
Westminster Christian High School with a 4.4 grade point average, says
he is seriously considering a life in the ministry, though he admits
to also being interested in sociology, and possibly medicine or law.
"I just really like relating to people," he said. "I
like working with people and I want to help people. So, I'm thinking
about the ministry and I'm looking at going to a Christian college. If
not that, then I'll probably go into some type of social science,
sociology or something along those lines. I know what I'm here to do,
so that's why I want to go into some type of ministry."
Rivera says he has applied to 10 schools, including Wheaton College
in Chicago, a Christian institution, and Harvard.
To say that Rivera is active at his high school would be something
of an understatement. He is Student Council President, sings in choir,
plays viol in the orchestra, and is the starting forward on the
basketball team. He is deeply involved in the Bible Club, and is a
member of the National Honor Society and Future Education of America.
As president of the Student Council, this past year he coordinated
the school's Christmas toy drive and delivered the gifts to the
children in the Homestead migrant workers camp. He's been a part of
the program for four years.
"That's been a really great experience" he said.
"Just being able to do that and go and play with the kids, it
makes me realize how blessed I am in my life to have so much. These
kids only get one present for Christmas and to see how their faces
light up and their eyes sparkle was just a real joy."
But that's not the only project to help people that Rivera has lent
his talents to. As leader of the Bible Club in past years, he
organized food drives for the homeless. He also regularly visits the
Miami Rescue Mission with his church youth group and plays his viol at
nursing and retirement homes around South Miami-Dade.
Rivera recently attended the National Young Leaders Conference in
Washington, D.C., held by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council,
where he visited the Capitol Building and the offices of congressional
leaders.
Showing no bitterness about failing to meet any members of the
Florida congressional delegation, Rivera says he understands that it
was a busy time in the nation's capitol and he enjoyed meeting with
the leaders' staff members.
"That was a lot of fun and I learned a lot," he said.
"It was a really good experience. I got to meet a lot of other
stu
dents from around the country. There was somebody there from every
state."
Politics, though, does not appear to be the career path this young
man will pursue. His direction, he says, is the bible and the truth of
the bible.
"My passion is to share my faith and share God with other
people," Rivera said, "and that's why I'm leaning more
toward the ministry. I've thought about becoming a pastor, but I'm not
positive that's what God is telling me to do. But, I'm definitely open
to it."
By Ron Beasley
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