Julio Tavarez was born in the Dominican Republic.  His family lived in a small village, El Ejido, a place laden with violence and poverty.  He was the twelfth out of thirteen children.

His father migrated to the United States in 1980 in hopes of making a better life for his family.  Not knowing English and having no technical training made it almost impossible to find a job in the United States.  However, he was a hardworking man who worked in the many factories that dotted our city 10 hours a day in order to send money back to his family.

His mother was left with the arduous task of raising their children on her own.  The family struggled financially and at times having meat as part of their meal was something to celebrate.

In 1983, his mother moved the family to El Ensanche Isabelita in Santo Domingo, where the education and social environment were much better.  A year later, however she followed her husband and migrated to the United States leaving the children under the care of neighbors and the eldest son. 

In 1989, at the age of 13, Tavarez came to the United States, where he moved to Paterson, New Jersey.  Although, adjusting to life in a new city, a new country where a challenge, he persevered and graduated Eastside High School in 1994.

Tavarez went on to attend Kean University through the Exceptional Educational Opportunities (EEO) Program. The program demanded discipline from students, and students needed to have a hard-work ethic if they expected to successfully complete it.  Tavarez hungered for this challenge and was ready for it.  His work paid off and quickly began to receive accolades from his professors and counselors. He completed his Bachelors Degree in Public Administration and graduated with honors in 1999.

Tavarez knew that he wanted to make a difference in his community.  He went on to become a teacher in Paterson’s Public School No. 5.  As a teacher, Tavarez he delivered a high quality education to his students, chaired PS No. 5’s Technology Committee; redesigned and renovated the school’s computer lab, changing it from a game room to a place of learning; additionally, he established the Voice of Five (school newspaper) and The School Five Computer and Web Design Team.

While teaching was a rewarding experience, he wanted to enhance his professional experience.  He returned to Kean University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and graduated with a 3.9 grade-point-average.

Since graduating from Kean University, Tavarez has been involved in numerous civic and community organizations.  He is a member of the Paterson Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) where he assisted the residents of the city that were displaced during the “Great Flood of 07″ and is ready to assist other community members when an emergency arises. Additionally, he is a member of and collaborates with many other community organizations to make Paterson a better place to live and increase our quality of life.

In 2004 Tavarez felt there was a void in Paterson where community members could have a forum to learn about what was happening locally as well as exchange ideas with each other.  He developed PatersonOnline.NET to maintain the Paterson community inform about educational, economic, legal, social, cultural, and political issues of interest to Patersonians, while at the same time allowing them to interact with each other on the Internet. PatersonOnline.NET has become a One-Stop Service Center to disseminate information about Patersonians and provide the people of Paterson with the means to express themselves on the Internet. He later went on to create  PatersonOnline\themagazine and the PatersonOnlineNETwórk.

Through the stages in his life, Tavarez has proven, to quote Keith Ferrazzi, “that your past need not be prologue to your future.” Notwithstanding the storm of adversities, it has been his work ethic, perseverance and voracious appetite for success that have propelled him to excel in his personal, academic and professional life.