Celeste L. Rivera
Celeste L. Rivera is an innovative and strategic thinker, with a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree coupled with more than 12 years of experience developing and managing innovative fund development, volunteer engagement, capacity building, and community engagement initiatives and events across the education, nonprofit, and corporate sectors. She is currently the Senior Manager for Alumni Impact at Uncommon Schools, where she is building their alumni network from the ground up and creating support for Uncommon Schools while also centering the alumni experience and supporting alumni while they work towards achieving personal economic freedom.
She graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University with a B.A. in Political Science and a double minor in Latin American Studies and Dance, and she earned her JD at Hofstra University School of Law. She has previously worked at East Harlem Tutorial Program, Girls Inc. of NYC, the United Way of NYC, and Barnard College, and has experience consulting with nonprofits on fundraising, board development, and special events.
Also, an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and fitness instructor, Celeste looks to inspire individuals through building community in many forms whether in artistic circles, philanthropy or beyond. She is passionate about issues supporting women and girls and the Latinx community and is looking to continue building her own philanthropic work in those areas. She is also extremely excited to bring her skills to the community at WOC.
In Her Own Words
What is your favorite quote?
Photo above: Sandra Cisneros | Courtesy of sandracisneros.com
“I am obsessed with becoming a woman comfortable in her skin.”
—Sandra Cisneros
Who is your favorite woman fundraiser or philanthropist of color?
Representation matters and seeing high profile figures set the example for what philanthropy can look like by and for the Latinx community is so important.
Eva Longoria stands out to me as someone who is trying to push the narrative and bring not only Latinx issues but also issues supporting women and girls to the forefront of the national philanthropic landscape.
Given that these are specific issues near and dear to my heart, her work also serves as an inspiration to me to continue pushing forward in my own endeavors.
What inspired you to transition from a career in the legal field to a career in fund development and community engagement initiatives?
From an early age, I always believed in supporting my community in whichever ways that I could. From volunteering at a shelter for homeless single mothers in my neighborhood to hosting retreats at my high school, it was always clear to me that giving back was in my DNA. I just didn’t realize that I could make it my career.
Professionally, from early on as well, I always wanted to be a lawyer. From the books I read to the clubs I joined in school, it was all in service of this goal. But the path that you choose as a child, is not always the path that you remain on. While in law school, I explored many areas of law from criminal to family to intellectual property and many more in between. I settled at law firm practicing general business law, but I wasn’t fulfilled. At my core, I am a creative with a background in performing arts who loves to bring people together, and I need to be passionate about the work that I am doing. So I decided to look to the nonprofit sector as a possible career change. I would not change my time in the legal field for anything because of the education and connections it gave me, but since I transitioned from the field, I have not looked back.
Working in fund development and community engagement has afforded me opportunities that I could have never imagined for myself in my younger years, and I not only want to continue to thrive in this field but also become the example for future generations of Latinas that there are a variety of career pathways that you can take (you can even change along the way) but you must be true to who you are to find that one that not only fits but excites and drives you every day.
From an early age, I always believed in supporting my community in whichever ways that I could.
Where do you want to be in 3 years?
I am a creative and strategist who designs opportunities that support individuals becoming their best selves no matter their circumstances, and I am committed to working in service of the Latinx community as well as women and girls and plan to continue my fund development and community engagement work in support of these areas through professional and personal endeavors.
Do you have any advice for other women of color entrepreneurs in the realm of philanthropy and fundraising — whether they are in Canada, the United States, or the international WOC community at large?
Women of color often struggle through experiencing systemic oppression or being told directly or indirectly their whole lives that they are less-than or undeserving of success, and these experiences and unjust narratives cause women of color to struggle with imposter syndrome at high rates. If you doubt yourself even when you’re doing all the right things, you will be prone to feeling like an imposter.
And so what I want to share with other women of color in the realm of fundraising and philanthropy is that you should always believe in yourself and your skills and bring your whole self to the table at all times no matter what is thrown at you. Your resilience in the face of adversity can be your greatest asset, and even though the road may be tough at times, do not doubt yourself or what makes you uniquely you because you are deserving of all the success you strive for.
