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Reflecting on the winter experience in Puerto Rico in 2025 brings mixed emotions, including sadness, pride, and happiness, especially when it comes to Vieques. Learning about the situation the people of Vieques have endured shows their strength. They overcame the hardship of their soil being bombed as the United States Navy used their land as a practice and testing ground.

I am proud of the strong and hardworking Viequenses, and how they protested until the United States Navy finally left the island in 2003, being there since 1941. It was an honor to meet the women of La Alianza de Mujeres Viequenses and La Colmena Cimarrona, who were activists for the demilitarization and protests of the US Navy in Vieques.

It was sad for me to hear about the high cancer rates in Vieques, which is a concern for residents who have lived with the effects of the US Navy bombing and toxic chemicals for decades. It was also unreal to hear that Vieques don’t have a hospital and must travel to the Isla Grande (the big island) for medical assistance.

It was such a pleasure to meet the Executive Director of Humanidades (Humanities) de Puerto Rico, Sonya Canetti-Mirabal, and her team. They opened their beautiful office doors to us and made us feel special. I felt more special than anybody when I got lost around her office with the heavy SanSe crowd, and she asked me to send her a pin of my location, found me, and embraced me with open arms. I will forever be grateful for that beautiful gesture.

Overall, being part of the Study Abroad Program was an amazing experience, I learned so much about my roots and exceeded my expectations. I came back from this experience with more knowledge about my culture and my people, and I recommend it 100%. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this program, for the new friends I made, and a big thank you to Professor Sagardia, Eunice Cuevas, Ambar, Profesora Mariposa, Teresita Levy, and all the Lehman team who worked so hard to be with us in good and bad times, every step of the way!

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Who am I?

I’m a mother, a daughter, a sister, a grandmother, a mother-in-law, a student and a professional.

My name is Maria L. Maldonado. I’m a junior at Lehman College in the Adult Degree Program (ADP). I’m working on a major of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies (BLIS-BA), with a minor in Human.

I’m always interested in learning more about my Latin roots and other Latino traditions and cultures.

My background have been working as a Case Manager for a nonprofit, Office Manager at a mobile app company, and during my last years as a Human Resources Manager for several companies. I am passionate about helping and working with people.

This course will be a huge benefit to me because I will have the opportunity to be exposed to the way my Puerto Rican brothers and sisters live on the island now. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and left to come to New York at 13 years old and stayed here. I didn’t get a chance to see the wonders of my native island. I am looking forward to seeing the Luminescent Bay in Vieques, Loiza Aldea and many other cultural sites on the island that I never visited. This is a unique opportunity to reconnect with my roots.