Miami High Alumnus Fernando Rivero

From Class President at Miami High to Assistant Attorney General in Washington, D.C., Class of ‘87 alumnus Fernando Rivero has made a name for himself in Miami and in the nation’s capital.

Current Career

   Since 2005, Mr. Rivero has been an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, though in law school he never thought he would be a litigator.

Sharing his career experiences with students while on a recent visit to Miami High, Mr. Rivero stated that he practices law in the courtroom but it’s not as dramatic as on television. He started litigating by prosecuting cases of child abuse and neglect. He now enforces other civil laws representing many government agencies in the city.

“The work that I do changes lives, and I am glad to be a part of that,” he said.

   Fernando Rivero served for many years on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Bar Association of Washington D.C. Pushed by his peers to take up the mantle of leadership, he became the group’s President in 2014.

“Sometimes leaders who are reluctant to take on the top role are good leaders,” Rivero said, “because they respond to the call of the community and are not in it to just make themselves look good.”

For the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C. 2014 was an important year. They partnered with the Hispanic National Bar Association to organize a national convention for Hispanic lawyers. Mr. Rivero said they raised millions of dollars to fund the convention, which broke fundraising and attendance records.

Class of 1987

   Rivero was born in Puerto Rico and his family moved to Miami when he was a child.  He graduated from Miami Senior High School in 1987. At Miami High, he was class president and the editorial editor for the Miami High Times. He was also involved with drama, BETA, and the National Honor Society.

One of the things he took with him from Miami High was that, “these clubs gave me a more detailed look of the world, and made me stand out from the crowd.”

Although he was involved in many school activities, he made sure that he never failed any classes. He said, “Being part of these activities gives you an advantage when you go to college. You can’t just go to school and go home. Be involved!”

Mr. Rivero made many friendships at Miami High, some that he still maintains to this day. He was a serious student at Miami High, even if it cost him some sleep. “If you find yourself sleeping 4 hours a day, you’re on the right track,” he said.

He made many great memories at Miami High; one of his favorite was standing on the stage as class president reciting the poem “Desiderata” at his graduation ceremony. “The poem was a collection of advice for living a good life, and I felt honored to be reciting those truly valuable words,” he said.

There are many things to miss about Miami High; however, what Rivero misses the most from his school are the teachers who pushed him to excel. He said that after high school, you basically become your own teacher and must continue to expose yourself to new and exciting things.

“I miss the many wonderful teachers who introduced me to fascinating things about the world,” he said. “My MHS teachers sparked in me a lifelong interest in learning.”

College and Early Career

After leaving Stingtown, Mr. Rivero graduated from Miami Dade Community College and then transferred Florida State University with a degree in English Literature.

His love and passion for writing and coming up with logical arguments as solutions to problems were a deciding factor in becoming a lawyer. His goal was to attend Georgetown Law School, a school with an international reputation.  In order to make himself a more attractive candidate, he decided to learn more languages and to live abroad. He eventually worked on the opening of Euro Disney in France and as an English teacher in Japan.  While living abroad he managed to learn French and Japanese.

Upon his acceptance to Georgetown Law School he did not lose his love of travel. Law school is three years long, which meant two summers of internships for more trips. Rivero spent his first summer in La Paz, Bolivia, interning at an international law firm. He returned to Japan is second summer for an internship at the legal department of Mitsubishi Electric in Tokyo. Because of his emphasis on international work, he ended up graduating in 1998 without a job waiting for him in the US.

Mr. Rivero did find work in Washington, a city with many legal jobs.  He worked for an organization that helped veterans get medical benefits.  He found time to help the community by joining the Board of Directors of a non-profit child development center that taught English to immigrants and provided daycare services for their children.   He discussed the problems facing the child development center with the city council member that represented that area.  During the meeting, Mr. Rivero was offered the opportunity to work for the council member.

Rivero became the council member’s chief of staff and then his legislative counsel, drafting bills that would become laws. While representing the council member, he discussed business with the city’s Attorney General.  After that meeting, the Attorney General ended up hiring him when Mr. Rivero expressed an interest in moving to litigation.

“Sometimes job opportunities appear in ways you never expect,” Rivero said. “Just like that!”