Johana Rivera - January 2024

USM sophomore Johana Rivera was born in Portland, Maine, and has lived in the city her whole life with her parents, who fled El Salvador’s Civil War. “Both of my parents only had the chance to graduate from the equivalent of high school, so I’m really grateful for the opportunity I have here in Portland to build my education and my future.“ A political science/international relations major, Johana sees herself moving into politics to pursue her passion for community advocacy. Whether it’s addressing the housing crisis or working to promote greater diversity, her approach is simple: “Just take a step back, even when things are heated, even when things seem impossible, even when differences seem too big to overcome. I think just being able to take a step back and recognize the fact that we’re all humans, and we’re all coexisting in the same space is probably my biggest advice.” That’s the kind of common sense Mainers have always appreciated, which bodes well for Johana’s future career in politics. “Here in Portland, I think it’s a perfect example where we have so many people coming from different places with different experiences, but we’re all dealing with the same issues. I think it’s important to have more people that look like me and have similar experiences as me at the table.”