Miguel Rivera
“Thank you for all of your support. I am truly blessed to be a part of the Be Perfect family.”
— MIGUEL RIVERA
My name is Miguel Rivera and I suffered a C-6 spinal cord injury on August 15, 2009.
A few nights before my first day of college. A night of drinking and having fun with my friends led me to make an unconscious decision. I attempted to drive myself home, but before I could reach my destination, I crashed into a side railing off of the 5 freeway that led to my car being catapulted down into a ditch that left me with the inability to walk. I was only 18 years old.
Be Perfect has provided me with life-changing assistance, including financial assistance through their scholarship. Essentially, Be Perfect's assistance has helped me regain an independent and active lifestyle that has allowed me to continue to pursue my wildest hopes and dreams.
Be Perfect has re-instilled hope into my life by providing me with a community of compassionate, understanding, and helpful people that I can reach out to with questions and support. Because of this, I have been successful in graduating with my Masters's in Education, securing a career as a school counselor, and so much more.
I have a simple mantra in life and it is to “dream big.” I have tried to put this into action by serving my local community and starting a foundation of my own called the Dream Big Project. Dream Big Project works to educate, inspire, and provide underserved youth with academic support, financial assistance, and leadership training. We provide tuition-assistance scholarships to graduating high school seniors as they begin their journey in higher education. We provide public school teachers with a classroom set of supplies through our classroom sponsorship program. In collaboration with schools and community partners, we provide backpacks, school supplies, books, and food to students in need.
Goals that I have set for myself that I am proud to have attained include being a first-generation college graduate in my family, increasing my level of physical independence in ways that have allowed me to pursue my goals and dreams, and having the confidence to take on any challenge that I may come across.
Future goals include additional opportunities to interact with TPS staff and clients; additional resources that may support purchasing an accessible vehicle with a ramp; lastly, perhaps an opportunity to connect with TPS clients virtually as a support group of some type. One goal of mine personally is to stay connected with wheelchairs users and others living with SCI as much as possible.
One thing that I would like to tell donors, even though they may be well aware of this already, is that their support makes a world of difference. It truly does. Whether it is toward a particular individual or the Be Perfect community as a whole, your support contributes to a healthy quality of life for all involved with Be Perfect. And it is deeply appreciated and life-changing.
Thank you for all of your support. I am truly blessed to be a part of the Be Perfect family.
I learned what kind of exercises I can do on a daily basis at home to help my posture and loosen tight muscles. And I feel more confident standing with my braces at home and even walking some.
The Be Perfect Foundation has re-instilled hope back into my life by making it possible for me to get therapy at The Perfect Step. It was a great relief (along with a lot of excitement) when I was notified that I had received a scholarship. I was able to witness what you can achieve when you are able to get the right kind of therapy on a regular basis and are consistent with it.
