SISTER TOMASA RIVERA, O.P.

SISTER TOMASA RIVERA, O.P.

HTC-PFAC School for Children Executive Director

1979-1986 and 1990-1995

A SLICE OF THE HTC-PFAC SCHOOL BEGINNING



The night was balmy at the Holy Trinity College. The students were quietly sitting in their accounting class. Everyone's attention was caught by the sudden entrance of Sister Tomasa Rivera, O.P. She was carrying a box that contained some pens, pencils, rulers, slightly used notebooks and sheets of writing paper, which had been donated by college students from other classes. She greeted everyone "Good evening!" with a timid smile on her face. "Are those chocolates and candies for us, Sister?" one of the students jokingly said. Sister Tomasa threw the students a humble smile. Then she took a deep breath and announced that the Holy Trinity College (HTC) was doing some volunteer teaching to the Vietnamese refugees in the camp and that she was there to ask the students if they could spare some of their pens, pencils, and sheets of paper for the less fortunate people in the refugee camp. 

Quite a few students donated their pencils and extra pens not because they didn't need them anymore but because the majority of them gave theirs away without hesitation. Moments later, Sister Tomasa asked if any one would be willing to work as volunteer English teachers in the camp. One student raised his hand.  The following week, Sister Tomasa headed to The Vietnamese Refugees Center with three volunteer students/teachers and started teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to the Vietnamese refugees ages four to fifteen.

The VRC School for Children was established in the refugee camp and the rest is history.  For the record, Sister Tomasa worked as the school for children head from 1979 to 1986 and then replaced by Sister Bernadette Izon, O.P. (1986 to 1990).  In the early 1990, Sister Tomasa re-instated.  HTC-PFAC remained in operation until it folded in 1995.

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