PERSON: Sammy Ravelo

Dominican Veterans Of America

President & Founder

Sammy Ravelo was born in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, to working-class parents. His father owned a small business and his mother was a pharmacist. Sammy is the third born of six brothers and sisters. Due to the economic and political uncertainties in the Dominican Republic, and the desire to give her children a better life, his mother decided to permanently move to the United States. Sammy came to New York on a travel visa, stayed and lived undocumented for several years. He was later sponsored for permanent residence by his mother. He attended Walton High School in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. After graduating and unable to afford college, he worked a variety of jobs such as bagging groceries at the neighborhood grocery store and pumping gas at the local gas station.

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