2024 Alumni Award Winner, Sandra Lopez Rivera, On the Importance of Inclusion

It is an honor to receive this award. 

I’m here as a NAF alumna from the New Britain High School Academy of Business and Finance, as a NAF Advisory Board co-chair at New Britain High, as a college graduate, and as a Senior Auditor at Travelers.

My journey to get here is full of people and experiences that opened new doors and always encouraged me to aim higher.

It was my parents who opened the first door. They brought our family here from Colombia when I was in the second grade. Everything they did, they did to benefit my brother and me.

Because of them, I knew I needed to reach as high as I possibly could.

My mom is a big part of why I landed on accounting. A lot of my family in Colombia are accountants. It was my mom’s dream job. So, when I started at the Academy of Business and Finance, it seemed right that accounting was the class I loved most.

I had amazing teachers with NAF. They offered me work-based learning opportunities, such as an accounting internship in the local hospital and volunteering in the VITA program. There, I was preparing income taxes for low-income individuals. We also took field trips, including one that introduced me to Travelers.

Because of NAF, I had future-ready skills, like problem solving, communication and collaboration. I was just a junior in high school, but I knew I wanted to be an accountant at Travelers.

I started at Capital Community College, where I was selected for the Travelers EDGE program. Through the program, I not only had a full scholarship, but I also interned at Travelers until I graduated. I was able to graduate with an associate’s degree in business management and my bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Because of the Travelers EDGE program, I not only graduated college debt-free, but I also began a strong career.

I started out in the Finance Leadership Development program at Travelers, which works to develop the future finance leaders of the company. Now, I am a Senior Auditor in the Corporate Audit Department. My next goal is to be a CPA.

You know what that means? I’m on the path to living my mom’s dream.

Today, I try to be on the lookout for everyone because I know what a difference it makes to have people looking out for me. So, I try to use my power to raise awareness and bring more opportunities to those I meet.

As the co-chair of the NAF Advisory Board at New Britain High, I act as a mentor for students and plan programming to help them discover the career pathway that interests them.

This is the kind of inclusion that is so important. This is how future generations find and excel on the path that is right for them and build a strong network along the way.

Thank you.