40 Under Forty 2019 winner:
NIRVA LAFORTUNE | 36
CITY COUNCILOR, PROVIDENCE CITY COUNCIL; ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF SCHOLARS PROGRAMS AND DIVERSITY INITIATIVES, BROWN UNIVERSITY
What is the best advice you have ever received? Success is a journey, not a destination, hold on to the lessons learned and knowledge gained along the way.
What advice would you give your 22-year-old self? Remember to allow yourself to be still, reflect, love, feel and be present; and letting go is peace.
What moment changed your life more than any other? Receiving my permanent resident card and later, in my 20s, becoming a U.S. citizen. For so long life was restricted and opportunities were limited. I no longer had to live in the shadows or through the narratives of others.
What is your favorite Rhode Island food or drink? Figidini grilled oysters, Olympic Cheese Pizza topped with Wurst Kitchen sausage and Sons of Liberty Uprising on the rocks.
Avengers or Justice League? Both, led by Okoye!
THE PROP: “Books and reading have always given me a sense of liberation; self-directed learning is an essential element of my core,” says Nirva LaFortune.
