ThePower

ofPomona

isPeople

Edward showed me the power of altruism

Edward Tessier has inspired me by his leadership, sacrifice, and most importantly, altruism towards his community and the city of Pomona. He has spent decades fighting for his people, the Pomonans, and preserving the history and culture that makes their city so great. In the early 1990s, he showed bravery by protesting against the Pomona City Council’s proposal to demolish the momentous downtown and convert the land into a strip mall. Over the years, he’s taken leadership to protect the oldest, historic, and most cherished buildings in town and develop them into a home for an all-around community of artists and creatives, co-founding the Pomona Arts Colony. Ever since, Edward has sacrificed his time and efforts for many of Pomona’s boards and commissions. He has served on the Board of Trustees for Western University of Health Sciences, the Pomona’s Central Business District Association, the City of Pomona Planning Commission, the Pomona Leadership Forum, the Pomona Rotary Club, the LA County Fair Association, and the Pomona Community Foundation. However, in all his contributions to the city, his greatest accomplishment was co-founding The School of Arts and Enterprise. Not only is it the school I attend, but it guides 700 other artistic students from all over the Pomona Valley to ‘unlock’ their creative abilities and construct themselves into the leaders and entrepreneurs they are destined to be. My hero, Edward Tessier, has personally touched the lives of thousands of students and families in his community as he delivers their high school diplomas each year. Though not everything has been easy, and despite his disabilities, he has shown unprecedented endeavors towards making the best of Pomona. By saving and rejuvenating Downtown Pomona, giving his time to many of Pomona’s delegations, and establishing a school to help Pomona’s future flourish with bright, creative individuals, Edward Tessier has inspired and made a difference in my life and the lives of many Pomonans.