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Armando Rivera
Armando Rivera
Engineering Manager · Space Systems
First Gen · Veteran · Engineer · Founder
Armando
Rivera.
MoneyMovesHQ.

"Work ethic builds income.
Systems build wealth.
And finishing — finishing builds everything."

Read the Story → Book Speaking
2×
Engineering Degrees
E-5
US Navy Veteran
17K+
YouTube Views / 28 Days
$1
That started it all
◆ First Generation
◆ US Navy E-5
◆ NASA JPL Alumni
◆ UC Irvine B.S. EE 2016
◆ Johns Hopkins MS EE 2022
◆ Engineering Manager · Space Systems
◆ South Central LA
◆ Guanajuato, Mexico
◆ Iraq Veteran
◆ LA Marathon Finisher 3:53:03
◆ PoolGuardian FPGA System
◆ First Generation
◆ US Navy E-5
◆ NASA JPL Alumni
◆ UC Irvine B.S. EE 2016
◆ Johns Hopkins MS EE 2022
◆ Engineering Manager · Space Systems
◆ South Central LA
◆ Guanajuato, Mexico
◆ Iraq Veteran
◆ LA Marathon Finisher 3:53:03
◆ PoolGuardian FPGA System
Origin Story

The dollar that
crossed the border.

Young Armando with family in South Central LA
Guanajuato, Mexico

It was a Tuesday night. June 14, 1989. I was 6 years old. Standing on top of a hill. Scared. Crying. My dad reached into his pocket and handed me $1. One dollar. To calm me down. I took it. Calmed down. And off we went.

33 years later — I have two engineering degrees. I'm an Engineering Manager working on technology that protects this country. My dad's $1 started all of it.

My name is Armando Rivera. I grew up in South Central Los Angeles — oldest of 5 brothers, first-generation, migrated from Guanajuato, Mexico at age 6.

LA Riots. Poverty. Chain snatched. Bike stolen at gunpoint. Twice. 5th grade, my teacher Ms. Threadgill gave me an award. I wore a communion suit and sneakers because my parents couldn't afford a real suit. I showed up anyway.

That's always been the move. Show up anyway. Finish anyway. Build anyway.

The Path

From South Central
to Space Systems.

Born — Guanajuato, Mexico → South Central LA
Migrated at age 6. Oldest of 5 brothers. A first-generation story begins.
Growing Up South Central
LA Riots. Poverty. Bike stolen at gunpoint. Twice. Ms. Threadgill's award. Communion suit and sneakers — showed up anyway.
July 9, 2001 — US Navy, Age 18
Enlisted two months before 9/11. Reached rank of E-5. Returned to East LA College — full time work, Navy Reserve, and school simultaneously.
2010 — Involuntary Deployment, Iraq
Called back up mid-college. Deployed. Came back. Kept going.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Broke his hand mid-internship. Mentor offered a way out. Finished anyway — while working part-time at TSA.
2016 — UC Irvine, B.S. Electrical Engineering
First in his family to earn a college degree. Hired at aerospace defense company before graduation. Met his wife at the OC Hispanic Youth Chamber.
2022 — Johns Hopkins University, MS EE
Employer-funded. Earned while managing a full career. Featured: "Keeping His Vow." Engineering Manager — Space Systems Division.
Today — Building MoneyMovesHQ
Ran the LA Marathon — 26.2 miles. Now helping the next generation engineer their money and their future.
Armando Rivera crossing the LA Marathon finish line
26.2 Miles.
LA Marathon.
Finished.
3:53:03
Official Finish Time
Los Angeles Marathon
The Mission

Built for the ones
betting on themselves.

MoneyMovesHQ exists for first gen students, Latino families, veterans, and anyone who grew up without a financial roadmap.

🎓
First Gen Students
Nobody in your family did this before you. That's not a disadvantage — it's your origin story.
🇺🇸
Veterans
You already know discipline and sacrifice. We help you translate that into wealth-building systems.
🌮
Latino Community
Our community knows hard work. MoneyMovesHQ turns that into generational wealth — not just a paycheck.
⚙️
Anyone Betting on Themselves
If you're working toward something bigger than where you started — you belong here.
By the Numbers

The proof is in the receipts.

17K+
YouTube Views
in 28 Days
105
TikTok Followers
Growing Daily
70+
Videos
Published
Daily
Posting Cadence
TikTok + YouTube
Speaking

The room changes
when this story lands.

May 15 — Upcoming
CSUDH New Generation Conference
Career panelist. First-generation students on navigating education, career, and finances with no roadmap — and no excuses.
Upcoming
OCHYCC Annual Banquet
Featured speaker at the OC Hispanic Youth Chamber — the same organization where Armando met his wife. Full circle.
Signature Workshop
"Work Ethic vs. Systems: How First Gen Students Build Real Wealth"
Universities, community colleges, veteran orgs, youth conferences. Real frameworks. Real results.
Book a Speaking Engagement →
Armando Rivera — MoneyMovesHQ
Available for Bookings
Content & Community

Follow the journey. Every day.

Content Pillars
01
First Gen Mindset & Financial Systems
The money stuff nobody taught us. Budgets, credit, investing — by someone who figured it out from scratch with zero inheritance.
02
Military & Veteran Story
Joined the Navy at 18. Deployed to Iraq. Came back and kept building. The discipline from service that transfers to everything.
03
Education & Career Path
East LA College → UC Irvine → Johns Hopkins → NASA JPL → Space Systems Engineering Manager. The blueprint, step by step.
04
South Central Origin Story
Growing up with nothing — and using it as fuel. Raw, real, and for everyone who came from somewhere people underestimated.
Engineering Projects

Built to save lives.
Engineered from scratch.

State Machine — VHDL / Xilinx Artix-7
IDLE
→
WATCH
→
PRE
ALARM
→
🚨
ALARM
Two-Factor Trigger Logic
Motion Event
+
Water Event
=
ALARM
Hardware Platform
Digilent Basys 3
Xilinx Artix-7
100 MHz
VHDL

An engineer doesn't just manage systems — he builds them. PoolGuardian is an FPGA-based embedded safety system designed to detect when a person falls into a swimming pool and trigger an immediate alarm.

◆ Why FPGA?
Chosen for its ability to process multiple sensor inputs simultaneously in real time. Motion alone, or water alone, never triggers the alarm — this two-factor logic separates a real fall from a splash, a ball, or rain.
Platform
Digilent Basys 3 — Xilinx Artix-7, 100 MHz
Language
VHDL — fully hardware description language
FSM
IDLE → WATCH → PREALARM → ALARM
Validation
Self-checking testbench for all critical scenarios
Debouncing
Hardware debouncing on all inputs
Roadmap
Phase 1 — Current
FPGA Prototype
Fully functional on Basys 3. VHDL firmware complete. Testbench validated.
Phase 2 — In Development
Real Sensor Integration
Piezoelectric water sensors and IR motion detectors replacing simulated inputs.
Phase 3 — Vision
WiFi App + Certification
Remote alerts app. Target: residential and commercial pool installation certification.
What's Coming

Digital products & resources.

Coming Soon
First Gen Financial Systems Course
The full financial playbook for first gen students and families. Budget, save, invest — built by someone who started with nothing.
Join Waitlist →
Coming Soon
Engineering Your Career Workshop
A live workshop turning Armando's path — Navy → NASA → MS → Engineering Manager — into a repeatable framework.
Get Notified →
Now Available
1-on-1 Coaching Inquiry
Direct coaching for first gen students, veterans, or professionals who want to build career and financial systems with someone who's done it.
Inquire →
Stay in the Loop

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before it drops.

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Get In Touch

Speaking. Coaching. Collaboration.

TikTok
@moneymoves_h_q
YouTube
@MoneyMovesHQofficial
Speaking Status
◉ Available for Bookings
Response Time
Within 48 hours
Based In
Southern California