A Special Certificate of Recognition was given to Robin E. King, the secretary to Judge Faviola Soto, and the 2017 Gilberto Ramirez Scholarship was given to Samara Linda Santiago, a student at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn.

“Tonight our three honorees and our Certificate of Excellence recipient all have something in common and that is the ability to inspire and motivate others,” said Major Luz Bryan, president of the Cervantes Society. “We are honored to recognize these individuals for the commitment to diversity and their devotion to our community.”

The master of ceremonies was the retired Justice Ariel E. Belen. Sgt. Jessica Hernandez sang the national anthem and Court Officer Edwin Colon led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Belen introduced each of the honorees starting with Gonzalez. When Gonzalez accepted the award, he explained that growing up poor in Brooklyn influenced his decision to become a prosecutor, but that becoming a judge was always his dream, not becoming DA. He pointed out that many of his earliest mentors were those same judges in the room.

“Many of you really had a special important role in my career and my life,” Gonzalez said. “When I joined the DA’s Office there were not a lot of people who were brown or black in the courts.

“I remember appearing before many of you,” Gonzalez continued. “I just want to say to the judges that are here today, it always meant something special for me to be before you because I wanted to make sure that I represented myself in ways that made you proud because you were the generation who inspired me.”

For Belen, introducing Rivera was an emotional moment, as the two have been nearly lifelong friends after they met as undergrads at Fordham University, and later reunited at Cornell University School of Law.

Belen credited Rivera’s presence at Cornell as a major factor in helping him to get through law school. Not coincidentally, Rivera was honored for his work with high school and college interns. Rivera said that he is merely being the mentor that he wished he had.

“I feel a little bit guilty getting an award for something that I love doing, that I would do for free,” Rivera said. “My experience at Cornell was very strange because I had no mentor, I had no one coaching me and I had no clue. I was like a deer in headlights. When I take on a student, I’m trying to give them a heads up because I’m looking at myself 20 years ago and wishing that I was there for them.”

---

Related Articles

Cervantes Society kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month in Brooklyn courts

October 27 | By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor