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Stony Brook Stands with Puerto Rico by Yamela Cando  As a Latina woman, I always try to find ways to give back to my community because
I have always believed in the notion of placing service before self. On campus, I
am involved through the Latin American Student Organization and am active within my
sorority, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc. Growing up in Ecuador I was taught
the value of doing all the good you can for the community and people around you. Puerto
Rican culture is something that is prominent in the Bronx, and now that I have been
living here for almost 15 years, in a way, it has become a part of who I am. When
the opportunity came up to help the people of Puerto Rico I knew it was my calling
to do my part to push their community forward. That’s the notion of placing service
before self and putting people first.After Hurricane Maria, there hasn't been much reporting on the recovery efforts and
how the community has come together to uplift the island. If anything, the number
of lives that have been lost does not come close to what has been reported. However,
after arriving on the island it was clear that the resilience of Puerto Ricans to
rise above any devastation helped the island pull through. From numerous conversations
with the families of the houses I worked on, I could tell that they remained positive
and humble. They took advantage of the little things that they did have and came together
as a community to push each other through. Some even said that it was not until after
the hurricane that they experienced the biggest sense of community. As I was landing I expected a vast amount of families and homes to still not have
full power restored. Yes, large rural communities in Puerto Rico are in dire need
of electricity and clean running water, but with the help of disaster response groups
and the unity of the people themselves, much of the island has recovered electricity
to communities in cities and towns. The organization that I participated through was
called All Hands and Hearts and they were amazing. Not only do they provide the tools
and assistance to help restore homes, but they follow up with the families to make
sure that the houses are still up and running. My experience in Puerto Rico was nothing short of phenomenal. Being a humanitarian
doesn't require any political affiliation or skill set pertaining to construction
work. It just requires you to have a good heart, be a good person, have a passion
for standing up for what’s right, and go where the people need you most. We spent
two weeks working on the home of a family comprised of three empowered women: a grandmother
with Alzheimer’s, a mother and a daughter. Hearing their stories and knowing I could
only imagine the devastation they had gone through to rise up from the hurricanes
was heartbreaking. But understanding that through the venture of fixing a leaking
roof and sharing a meal with the family, I was doing my little part in connecting
with the family and understanding their experience. Therefore, my time in Puerto Rico will always be defined by the island’s motto of
“Fuerza” which means strength and force. This was something that was spray painted
in a lot of the homes that have crumbled and in evacuated building. If there is anything
I’ve learned, it that Puerto Ricans have a strong sense of community. They took the
devastation from the hurricane and fostered it into a lesson of remaining resilient,
driven and determined. I am glad that New York State and Stony Brook answered the
island’s call for assistance and I am so grateful to have been a part of this mission. This opportunity was not only imperative to rebuilding Puerto Rico, but to empowering
the people of Puerto Rico too. People from all over the world noticed the help needed
despite the shortage media coverage and took a stand to help. I hope I left an impact
on the community, as it did on me. An impact of pushing our communities forward regardless
of the challenges we all face, to touch hearts, and share a vision of a stronger tomorrow
and a stronger Puerto Rico, to do the most good in all the ways you can for all the
people you can is what I bring back with me to New York State.
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