Interview, Thomas Soto

Thomas Soto was born in 1976 and raised near San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. His family moved to Manhattan when he was five years old so that his parents could find work. They would later move to Rochester, NY, due to a job opportunity offered to his father working with the HVAC systems in the Rochester City School District. Soto received a criminal justice degree from Monroe Community College (in Rochester) and worked as a corrections officer for a decade following his graduation. He has also worked as part of Campus Security at Nazareth College (also in Rochester).

In this interview Thomas Soto discusses his brief time in Puerto Rico as a child, his family’s reasons for moving to the United States, and his many trips back to Puerto Rico over the years. He explains how he came to work in security, his involvement in the local Latino community in Rochester, and the situation of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. He also discusses Three Kings Day traditions, his attachment to Puerto Rico, and future plans to visit the island.