May 30, 2019
Leslie Rivers just celebrated her 19th anniversary here at RTA as a bus operator and has definitely made those years count! You can always find her with a smile on her face. She lives by her philosophy, “Treat people the way you want to be treated. You never know someone’s story. I’m not above anyone and I never want to take anything for granted. Always give back.” Her passengers enjoy seeing her every day, as she is a beacon of light while crossing their paths.
When Leslie isn’t getting her passengers to their destinations safely, she is spending time with her two children. She brags about her children, who she says are her greatest accomplishments. She says, “I stay on my children. They are very smart and I teach them to always strive to do better.” She attributes her kind soul to being grounded with God. She instills in her children that “if you have God close by, you can accomplish anything. I stayed prayed up.”
Leslie takes pride in connecting with younger people, as she knows they are our future. She goes out of her way to make them feel special, even by rewarding them for good grades. Once she had a school group from Cleveland Heights High School on her bus and she called their principal afterwards to compliment the students on how much she enjoyed her time with them. The school invited Leslie to come and take a picture with their students and graciously thanked her. If you know Leslie, you know being a kind and generous person is just a part of her daily life. She remembers an experience where she would bring a snack for a child every day on the bus, and when Leslie was on vacation, the little girl was confused and missed seeing her, so Leslie made it a point to let her know when she wouldn’t be on her normal route from then on.
Leslie’s heart belongs to her family, and her brother inspires her every day. Her dream is to one day open up a mental health treatment center for women, men, and children dealing with issues such as substance abuse, personality disorders, mood disorders, and much more. Leslie is always the first one to offer help to anyone, and hates to see anybody suffer. She respects all aspects of life and with her compassion, we know her treatment center would be an amazing contribution to our society.
When Leslie isn’t dreaming big, she enjoys having her “me” time: watching Lifetime movies, shopping with her daughter, or spending Friday nights with her best friend where they talk and laugh all night. Leslie enjoys meeting new people, especially her new passengers! When asked if Leslie wants to further her career, she is currently studying to test into the training department. She says, “If you want change, you have to prepare yourself for it. Don’t be afraid to push yourself!” We encourage you to hop on Leslie’s route and say hi, she is known to brighten anyone’s day. All of us here at RTA would like to thank Leslie for her loyalty and positivity for the past 19 years!
