I grew up in a family of two completely different socio-economic backgrounds, which is the very fabric of this great nation.
I’m a New England kid at heart born and raised in Newport, RI. My father immigrated from Trinidad in 1971, while my mother’s side of the family immigrated from Scotland to Canada and later settled in America in 1888. My parents Heather and Ricardo Orosco met at a young age and had me in 1980. At the age of 21 and 24 respectively they had to go through the hardships of becoming young parents. From dropping out of college to living in low income housing it was hard work, perseverance, and commitment to a better future that completely changed the trajectory of my life. As a child, you never realize the hardships and struggles of your parents. The stories of having to save their spare change during the week, so they could order a quart of fried rice on a Friday night are something to admire. I remember moving into the basement of a home at five years old to then moving to the second floor of that same home the following year. We eventually rented an entire house in the next town over to finally becoming homeowners in the suburbs of Portsmouth, RI. My parents are the essence of the “American Dream” and its struggle to provide a better life for the next generation.
My parents made the conscious decision to take 2 steps back in order to take 3 steps forward in order to give me a strong foundation by providing a safe neighborhood with a great school system.
I learned the value of education and the importance of doing the things that you’re passionate about. My father like most immigrants was always proud that I would potentially be the first in our family to have a college degree while my mother who received her Master’s degree from Yale University probably always expected it. How could you not when her father graduated from one of the top business schools in the country, Babson College and her grandfather graduated from M.I.T.
I attended Pace University, NYC where I double-majored in finance and marketing and then went to work on Wall Street. It wasn’t until I was recruited by a firm right here in Connecticut, Barnum Financial Group that I truly laid roots in New Haven, CT. It was moving to Connecticut where I fell in love with the sport of MMA, which was the start of the next chapter in my life. While training at Ultimate MMA in North Haven, CT I also decided to go back to school where I received both my MBA and MSM from Albertus Magnus College. Shortly after graduation in 2007, I left Corporate America and pursued my passion in the sport of MMA. In 2009 I made the 3000-mile drive from New Haven, CT to beautiful San Diego, CA, where I eventually turned pro as a fighter in 2010. This was alongside my biggest supporter and love of my life Jeannine Candela Orosco.
After years of fighting in the cage, I took a turn by identifying a need in the market by creating a professional MMA league, SMASH Global. To date, we have had 10 successful events in California with one looming in Connecticut in 2025. In 2019 we decided to move back to Morris Cove in New Haven, CT to raise our family in a community that we had always loved. A community where my wife was born and raised with an extremely strong Italian heritage that stretches from the migration of the Amalfi coast to Ellis Island in 1918 to lay down roots in Wooster Square. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that they were forced to relocate to Morris Cove due to Eminent Domain.
I am a strong business leader with financial expertise in both budget allocation and revenue generation. From finance experience to the managing of multiple successful businesses and advising a multitude of business start-ups. The decades of frivolous spending, the inability to create new revenue streams for this city, and the constant burden of our residents to fund its failures by increasing our taxes need to stop. It should never be the responsibility of the residents to use their hard-earned money to make up for the failures of our elected officials. It’s time to remove the failed leadership of Mayor Justin Elicker and create new systems and process to put New Haven on a much needed path to success.
My career has been driven by passion, excellence, and above all, accountability. I will fight for you, your family, and the future of ELM CITY.
We all want the same thing for our community. Safe neighborhoods for our families, future economic development, proper education for our children, and lower taxes to ensure that more money is kept in our pocket. This is why I fight for a better city and better America.