Alba Mercedes TavarezAlba Mercedes Tavarez was born in Coamo, Puerto Rico. At the age of twelve, her parents moved the family to New York. She graduated from Andrew Jackson High School and received her BA in Spanish from New Paltz College. She completed some work in the asters of Educational Psychology at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers as a clerk-stenographer, for the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, and as a secretary to the civilian personnel officer. She also worked as a customs aide at the Houston Intercontinental Airport in Texas. Back in New York, she worked for Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID), as a counselor assistant.Robert Redford once said, Service is the rent that we pay for living. Life is not free. We need to pay for living. There are various ways for paying; the most rewarding in my view, is service. We are born to serve. We serve our children, we serve our communities, we serve God, we serve the needy, and we serve ourselves. Yes, service is the rent we pay for living. Read More Read Less