Hostos’ Own Recognized Among El Diario’s 2018 “Mujeres Destacadas”
Hostos’ own Soldanela Rivera, Acting Director of Presidential Strategic Initiatives, was recently recognized by El Diario as one of their 2018 Mujeres Destacadas for her outstanding work in the community.
Now in its 23rd year, the annual recognition is given to distinguished Latinas in the Tristate area who are making strides in their respective fields. This year’s cohort included women who are blazing trails as educators, entrepreneurs, activists, and journalists, among other professions
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Rivera said she was humbled by El Diario’s recognition. “I’m proud of the community I belong to as a Latina and a Puerto Rican, and felt incredible pride to stand side-by-side with other champions and trailblazers working to uplift our communities,” she shared. “I’m honored and I thank my Hostos family for their love and support.”
Rivera has held and mastered many roles over the course of her career so far, including that of a dancer, actress, teaching artist, production coordinator, tour manager, publicist, and much more. The daughter of singer Danny Rivera, the Puerto Rican-born multi-hyphenate has been entrenched in the entertainment world from an early age, and has applied her experience in the arts, media and communications to her work in various fields, including higher education.
Rivera has been an integral member of the Hostos family for many years, beginning as an adjunct professor of Public Speaking in 2010, then serving as the Director for the Office of Communications from 2011 to 2015. She returned to the College in 2016as the Acting Director of Presidential Strategic Initiatives to help plan, execute and promote initiatives in honor of Hostos’ year-long 50th Anniversary celebration.
An ardent collector of oral history and master storyteller, Rivera produces the Hostos Oral Collective podcast. The podcast is a robust archive of stories reflecting the perspectives and experiences of more than 160 alumni, community members, faculty, former College presidents, friends, staff and students from the past five decades. Rivera began recording in October of 2016, and had conducted over 100 interviews by April 2017, when the podcast officially launched and was featured on newly-debuted Hostos’ 50
th Anniversary website.
Rivera is one of 20 women recognized as El Diario’s 2018 Mujeres Destacadas. The distinguished group of community leaders were honored at a luncheon at the exclusive Harvard Club on April 27, and featured in a special supplement published to highlight each recipient’s accomplishments and contributions to the Latino community. The ceremony was sponsored by Gorayeb, ConEdison, Univision 41, Icahn School and Touro College.
To see the full list of El Diario’s 2018 Mujeres Destacadas, click
here.
About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities for a half-century. Since 1968, Hostos has been a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs.
Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.