IC group experiences Puerto Rico
For 13 51成人 students, their educational experience did not take a break during IC鈥檚 spring break.
By Greg Olson, golson@myjournalcourier.com,
The students and three members of IC鈥檚 staff spent the first week of March in Puerto Rico, where they experienced the island nation鈥檚 culture and assisted its people in recovering from two major hurricanes that struck in September.
Ana Flores, project coordinator for IC鈥檚 admissions office and coordinator of the college鈥檚 Khalaf Al Habtoor Leadership Program, explained why Puerto Rico was chosen as a spring break destination for the students.
鈥淢y family and I brainstormed this past winter about a unique alternative spring break experience for IC students,鈥� Flores said. 鈥淢y aunt suggested going to Puerto Rico to assist with hurricane relief.鈥�
Flores then reached out to Diana Grullon-Garcia, assistant professor of Spanish and Latin American literature at IC, who is a native of Puerto Rico.
鈥淚t was an opportunity for me to go back to my island and give back to my people,鈥� Grullon-Garcia said.
Six of the 13 students spoke about the trip during a PowerPoint presentation Tuesday in Baxter lounge on campus.
Senior Christian Flores '18 of Addison talked about the community service the group performed in Puerto Rico.
鈥淎s a Latino, it was important for me to contribute to an underserved Latino community,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was heartbreaking for me to see how neglected Puerto Rico was in comparison to the way Americans responded to the hurricane damage in Florida and Texas, and it gave meaning to me for the community service I performed.鈥�
Sophomore Kalli Kaney '20 of Pearl City said it was a humbling experience.
鈥淚 really enjoyed experiencing the culture,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone we met was very welcoming and grateful that we were there. The community service was a lot harder than I expected it to be. It was emotional seeing how the hurricanes affected the people of Puerto Rico.鈥�
IC Provost Catharine O鈥機onnell, who accompanied Flores, Grullon-Garcia and the students on the trip, said it provided a powerful educational experience.
鈥淭eam leaders Ana Flores and Diana Grullon-Garcia ensured that the community service work was deeply contextualized so that students came to understand the vexed history of Puerto Rico and the ways in which the natural disaster of the hurricanes compounded the 鈥榰nnatural鈥� disaster of poverty and political neglect,鈥� O鈥機onnell said.
鈥淭hree elements combined to make the Puerto Rico trip particularly effective,鈥� she said. 鈥淔irst, the pre-trip readings and discussions ensured that students embarked on the trip ready to encounter the culture and with an understanding of the historical conditions compounding the devastation of the hurricanes. Second, the service projects met real community needs and underscored the challenges of the recovery effort. Finally, the trip activities promoted wonderful team building and helped all involved to move beyond their comfort zones, whether culturally, linguistically, or physically, such as cave exploration.鈥�
Senior Jess Frausto '18 of Chicago said she enjoyed helping to rebuild Puerto Rico with other IC students.
鈥淚t definitely helped me grow,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was able to learn new ways to help people and not take life for granted. I thought it was amazing how well I could work with my fellow IC students. It was easy to work with them, even though we didn鈥檛 necessarily know each other.鈥�
The group spent three days in San Juan learning the history of the city and Puerto Rico鈥檚 connections to Spain and the United States.
They then spent a day in Morovis, a rural town in central Puerto Rico, where they cleaned up a person鈥檚 property strewn with hurricane debris and then planted a vegetable garden. After planting the garden, the group hiked into the hills and explored three caves.
The next stop was Vieques, an island off the east coast of Puerto Rico, where they helped demolish the hurricane-damaged home of a blind 90-year-old U.S. military veteran who built the house 40 years ago.
鈥淲e were told that [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] will help him rebuild once his property is cleared,鈥� O鈥機onnell said.
The group stayed on Vieques for four days, during which time they also helped restore an important tourist beach.
鈥淚 was particularly struck by and impressed with the extraordinary work ethic of the students,鈥� O鈥機onnell said. 鈥淲orking with a team in the hot sun, I had to ask a student to set his watch to ensure that students took regular water breaks 鈥� they didn鈥檛 want to stop. Everyone was aware of the tremendous needs and the short time we had to try to meet them. These students understand and embrace their responsibility to make a positive difference in the world.鈥�