Ruth Rivera, B.A. ’10, M.S. ’14 lived a life defined by self-reliance. Coming to New York from Puerto Rico at the age of five, she was soon split up from her four siblings following the divorce of her parents and entered the foster care system. “It was not an easy start in life for her,” said her daughter, Alexandra Day, B.A. ’10, B.S. ’10, M.B.A. ’16. Shortly after graduating high school at 18 years old, Rivera left her longest standing foster home placement and never looked back.
As a necessity, Rivera sought opportunities to support herself and somehow found her way into acting. Whether she landed there through a trademark sparkling smile, or by sheer luck, she began pursuing print commercial work and modeling gigs, booking jobs that would take her abroad. For a young woman with essentially no blood relatives to rely on, this would seem an exciting adventure, but Day said her mother took such opportunities all in stride.
“Mom was very practical about the whole thing,” said Day. “If it was glamorous to everybody else, for mom it was just a way to pay the bills.” Rivera would soon find herself moving into television and film. Small roles in now iconic films like The Godfather Part II and Saturday Night Fever would lead Ruth to larger roles, including one in the NBC made-for-television movie, Contract on Cherry Street, with Frank Sinatra.
Making a Broadway debut in 1977 in the play Cold Storage, she joined a cast that included Len Cariou. It was clear hers was a career on the rise. However, anticipating the short shelf-life of an actress, Rivera looked ahead to something more and began taking college courses. Soon, both higher education goals and a life on the stage and screen would soon take a back seat toward another priority – impending motherhood.
To read more of this article from the Spring 2021 Maverick Magazine click here.