Leading the Way to Citizenship One Student at a Time

Professor Cesar Guzman (backrow, far left), who teaches citizenship classes at Imperial Valley College and in the community, stands with a group of students in a class he taught at the First United Methodist Church in El Centro in this 2020 photo. Photo courtesy of Cesar Guzman

Fifteen thousand.

That’s how many people long-time Imperial Valley educator Cesar Guzman has helped become U.S. citizens through his work teaching citizenship classes offered as part of an Imperial Valley College (IVC) program and his volunteer work in the community.

Today, at age 78, though retired as a full-time educator, he still works part-time for the college program, volunteers in the community, and serves on a local school board in the city of Brawley, something he has done for nearly half a century.

He’s not about to stop yet. He enjoys it all too much to stop, especially when it comes to

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  • How To Nominate

    To nominate a deserving community member, fill out the attached form, which will be sent electronically to Water Authority staff member Darren Simon.


    The Water Authority looks forward to featuring the person you have suggested for the Community Feature page. Should there be a backlog of nominations, it may take time to for your nomination to be highlighted, but we will strive to have a story done in a timely manner.

Rivera: Her Long Journey With IID Leads to Induction into Gallery of Distinguished Employees

Gloria Rivera, fourth from left, stands with the current Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors and management staff as she is inducted into IID’s Gallery of Distinguished Employees on Nov. 21. Rivera, who retired in 2019, worked 47 years for IID, as an executive assistant to the general manager and Board secretary.

When Gloria River was a 10-year-old girl growing up in the Mexican border city of Mexicali, her mother told her they would be moving across the border to the Imperial Valley where her father worked on a ranch.

Rivera cried at the news. She didn’t want to leave her friends to start a new life in the United States, but what that child didn’t know was the positive path her life would take, and the sense of fulfillment it would bring her.

Eventually, at the age of 19, Rivera would join the Imperial Irrigation District

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  • How To Nominate

    To nominate a deserving community member, fill out the attached form, which will be sent electronically to Water Authority staff member Darren Simon.


    The Water Authority looks forward to featuring the person you have suggested for the Community Feature page. Should there be a backlog of nominations, it may take time to for your nomination to be highlighted, but we will strive to have a story done in a timely manner.

A Fourth-Generation Farming Family Celebrates a Centennial

Jack Vessey, president of Vessey & Co., is pictured in one of his kale fields near Holtville. Vessey represents the fourth generation of his family farming operation, which this year is celebrating its centennial in the Imperial Valley. Photo courtesy of Vessey & Co.

When Jack Vessey was a teen growing up in the Holtville area, watching his father run the family’s generational farm, he knew what he wanted to do – become a farmer like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

There were times when his father, the late Jon Vessey, would tell him that he could choose any career he wanted, and that the only reason to become a farmer would be if he truly had a passion for it. The elder Vessey told his son becoming a farmer would not be an easy path.

For Jack, there was never a question. He was going to be

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  • How To Nominate

    To nominate a deserving community member, fill out the attached form, which will be sent electronically to Water Authority staff member Darren Simon.


    The Water Authority looks forward to featuring the person you have suggested for the Community Feature page. Should there be a backlog of nominations, it may take time to for your nomination to be highlighted, but we will strive to have a story done in a timely manner.