Fort Buchanan Associate Thrives as MILITARY STAR Card Ambassador

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified one of the people in the photo. The story has been updated and corrected.

Fort Buchanan associate Blanca Rivera had been working at the food court for about three years when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. To help supplement her income, the Exchange Credit Program approached Rivera and other associates to work a shift gaining MILITARY STAR card applicants. Associates receive $2, and sometimes up to $7, for every approved application.

Rivera took a shift, looking to sign up one cardholder. That day, she got eight.

“It’s funny,” Rivera said. “They didn’t think I would get so many in one day.”

Rivera had faced a lot of challenges and losses in a short time. In 2017, her home was ruined by Hurricane Maria. During the pandemic, she lost her parents, her brother, her husband and her son.

“It was horrible,” Rivera said. But the Exchange had provided her with an escape from the outside world. “Work was my therapy.”

Despite the losses and challenges, Rivera excelled as a MILITARY STAR card ambassador. Since the start of 2023 fiscal year, Rivera has secured more than 150 applicants, placing her in the top 10 for Eastern Region. Since 2020, she’s secured nearly 500 approved applicants, placing her in the top 35 worldwide. Rivera opened the new accounts in the food court while other associates primarily opened new accounts in main stores.

Fort Buchanan associate Blanca Rivera with a PX customer. Since the start of 2023 fiscal year, Rivera has secured more than 150 MILITARY STAR applicants.

Yajaira Jimenez, Fort Buchanan food court manager, said Rivera has something unique.

“You’ve got to see her in action,” she said. “I’m very much a people person, but for doing those kinds of things, I cannot do it the way she does.”

It’s all in the approach, Rivera said. She lets potential cardholders come to her. At the food court, she carries a microphone and a large prop of a MILITARY STAR card. She takes the time to have a conversation before going over details such as benefits, perks and disclosures, and helps shoppers apply. She said she doesn’t pressure anyone.

“We make a big fuss with everyone,” Rivera said. She announces approvals with the microphone and rouses applause for each applicant. Approvals are documented in a small booklet, which she jokingly called her “MILITARY STAR card diary.”

There have been notable moments, Rivera said. About a year after she helped a Soldier apply for MILITARY STAR, he returned to the PX. He specifically sought out Rivera to thank her. He told her the news: he bought a new house.

“This person came to tell me that, because of me, he had bought a house,” Rivera said.

It’s not surprising to learn Rivera is a people person. Before the food court, she worked at a PXtra plant shop, and she managed D’Leites, a concession selling cakes at the Exchange, for more than 10 years. Before her Exchange journey, she taught English at an elementary school.

She’s familiar with the military, as numerous family members have served. Her father served in the Korean War as a Soldier in the 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers, the first regiment of native troops in Puerto Rico, which led one of the greatest fighting retreats in military history. Her two brothers both served in the Air Force. Her husband served in the Coast Guard.

“People say, they don’t know how I do it—to always have a smile on my face,” Rivera said.