Terence Rivera

Terence Carlos Rivera was born in the Bronx. He is the son of Leena Toivonen, an accountant, and Carlos Rivera, a community organizer. He is of Finnish, and Puerto Rican descent. He was raised mostly in Brooklyn, but also lived for a short period in Puerto Rico during his childhood. He graduated from Telecommunications Arts & Technology High School in Brooklyn, and shortly thereafter enlisted in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. His desire was to be a Navy Seal. Unfortunately, due to injuries he was unable to complete SEAL training. He finished up his military career stationed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii with 3rd Marines. After serving honorably in the military he returned to NYC and joined the Fire Department of New York. He was a firefighter assigned to Ladder 10 on 9/11/2001, and was one of the many firefighters who responded to the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, 2001. He was retired from the FDNY as a decorated veteran in 2007 due to the effects from 9/11/2001. Upon retirement, he returned to Hawaii and earned a Bachelors in Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Management at the University of Hawaii. He now lives in Los Angeles, CA.