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In 2011, Alejandro Rivera moved from his birthplace of Puerto Rico to the continental United States. At first, his family settled in Allentown, Pennsylvania. But after spending three years in the Keystone State, they relocated again, this time to central New York.
It was a completely new environment for him. Detached from everything he knew, Rivera needed a way to connect with his new peers.
“We’re the only (ones in my) family that live here, so it was tough,” Rivera said.