Interview with Eddie Rivera
Date6 November 2025
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 25 Minutes, 41 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
DescriptionAudio file of interview with Eddie Rivera. He was interviewed by Bethzy Mejia on November 6, 2025 in Middletown, Connecticut.
Eddie Rivera was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in his life.
Eddie Rivera was Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Connecticut. Eddie faced his first major life change when his mother left his father due to drug abuse and moved their family to the U.S., which was a shift that he recalls as a moment of “culture shock,” since neither of them spoke English at the time. As a teenager, he struggled with depression and addiction, which led him down a path of crime and eventually incarceration. The turning point came when his mother showed him a picture of his newborn daughter and urged him to change before losing everything. “That really hit me,” he said, describing it as the moment he began rethinking his life.
After serving time in jail, Eddie committed to transformation, first through steady work, then through creative passion. He channeled his talents in barbering, art, and hip-hop into entrepreneurship, later opening a barbershop that also serves children with autism. “Sometimes I slept in my car,” he recalled, “but I didn’t quit.” His inspiration now comes from motivational figures like Tony Robbins and Les Brown, whose teachings helped him find stability and purpose. Today, Eddie is a business owner, artist, and community mentor who delivers talks to youth, emphasizing that change is always possible. As he puts it, “You can go through hell and still come back out of it a great person... change is possible.”
Eddie Rivera was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History's Community History Project discussing moments of change in his life.
Eddie Rivera was Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Connecticut. Eddie faced his first major life change when his mother left his father due to drug abuse and moved their family to the U.S., which was a shift that he recalls as a moment of “culture shock,” since neither of them spoke English at the time. As a teenager, he struggled with depression and addiction, which led him down a path of crime and eventually incarceration. The turning point came when his mother showed him a picture of his newborn daughter and urged him to change before losing everything. “That really hit me,” he said, describing it as the moment he began rethinking his life.
After serving time in jail, Eddie committed to transformation, first through steady work, then through creative passion. He channeled his talents in barbering, art, and hip-hop into entrepreneurship, later opening a barbershop that also serves children with autism. “Sometimes I slept in my car,” he recalled, “but I didn’t quit.” His inspiration now comes from motivational figures like Tony Robbins and Les Brown, whose teachings helped him find stability and purpose. Today, Eddie is a business owner, artist, and community mentor who delivers talks to youth, emphasizing that change is always possible. As he puts it, “You can go through hell and still come back out of it a great person... change is possible.”
Object number2024.79.79
NotesSubject Note: The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History’s Community History Project (CHP) is a public-facing initiative, focused on contemporary collecting, gathering items of the recent past as well as from events happening today. This program developed community historians to identify, document, and preserve their experiences as residents of Connecticut, and to share these experiences during a series of community presentations. The project focused on the theme "Redefining Moments of Change." Conneticans share stories of people or events who have changed their lives or how they have sparked change in the lives of others.Cataloging Note: Digitization and access to this collection is supported by a Congressionally Directed grant through the U.S. Department of Education.
Subject Terms
CTDA Handle: Watch/Listen on the Connecticut Digital Archive
https://hdl.handle.net/11134/4091120
On View
Not on view29 October 2025