{"id":82667,"date":"2018-05-09T17:21:20","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T21:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=82667"},"modified":"2025-06-25T16:24:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T20:24:33","slug":"after-hurricane-maria-puerto-rican-student-finds-new-career-focus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/after-hurricane-maria-puerto-rican-student-finds-new-career-focus\/","title":{"rendered":"After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rican Student Finds New Career Focus"},"content":{"rendered":"

While Hurricane Maria undoubtedly took away many things from people on the island of Puerto Rico<\/a>, it has given one 麻豆原创 student a shift in focus, a new sense of independence and opportunities to create a greater future.<\/p>\n

Sophomore criminal justice<\/a> major Yolimar Garayalde Figueroa, from northern Puerto Rico\u2019s city of Guaynabo, had to enter a new stage of adulthood after the storm forced her to uproot her entire life to continue her education at 麻豆原创.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one thing being home having your car, having a job, going to college and saying, \u2018I want to be independent. I want to live my own,\u2019 \u201d says Figueroa. \u201cBut, it\u2019s a totally different thing when you\u2019re forced to leave and actually have to do things on your own because no one else is going to do it for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although making it through her first semester at 麻豆原创 has been full of challenges, the chance to grow and create a new life is one Figueroa says she wouldn\u2019t trade for anything.<\/p>\n

Surviving the Storm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Figueroa\u2019s home in Puerto Rico is near the peak of a mountain, but her parents chose to stay during the storm because her grandparents, who suffer from Alzheimer\u2019s disease, refused to leave. They boarded up the windows, gathered food and supplies, and hoped for the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day the hurricane came it was supposed to come into the island at 8 a.m., but by 3 a.m. we already felt it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe day the hurricane came it was supposed to come into the island at 8 a.m., but by 3 a.m. we already felt it. Things were already flying away,\u201d says Figueroa.\u00a0 \u201cI think the winds reached 175 mph.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Maria tore through the island, it caused a tree to fall on Figueroa\u2019s home and create a crack in the ceiling, allowing water to drip onto her bed. Not long after, all the windows shattered and the home flooded, the water reaching up to Figueroa\u2019s knees. Baby pictures, high school memorabilia, clothing and awards were among the items destroyed as a result.<\/p>\n

When the storm finally passed, the concrete walls and doors were all that remained of her home. Maria\u2019s force was strong enough to rip the terrace and a storage unit with food, supplies and water from the property. What was once a lush landscape was now a barren terrain littered with debris.<\/p>\n

For the following months, the family, along with millions of others, struggled to find food, water and gas with the only power coming from generators.<\/p>\n

A Life-Changing Conversation <\/strong><\/p>\n

A couple weeks after the storm, Figueroa started working at a bakery when she had a conversation with a parole officer that would change everything. Figueroa always knew she wanted to be a lawyer, but her interest in climatology led her to study geography at the University of Puerto Rico\u2019s Rio Piedras campus, located in San Juan. That conversation made her rethink her major<\/a> when she arrived at 麻豆原创.<\/p>\n

\u201cI honestly want to go back home because [the accused need a] super expensive lawyer to avoid jail time, so I want to create a change.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Figueroa says she was troubled by the justice system\u2019s lack of understanding for law offenders, considering the natural disaster that everyone on the island had just endured. She now wants to complete her degree in criminal justice and although she isn\u2019t entirely sure which field of law she wants to work in, she is considering representing people facing criminal charges.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to serve in Orlando for a couple of years, but I honestly want to go back home because [the accused need a] super expensive lawyer to avoid jail time, so I want to create a change back home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transitioning to 麻豆原创<\/strong><\/p>\n

Figueroa\u2019s journey to 麻豆原创 started with a Google search: \u201cUniversities helping students displaced by Hurricane Maria.\u201d To get access to Wi-Fi she had to drive to the middle of a highway and park, or visit a mall food court, where the connection was strongest.<\/p>\n

Results showed schools in Florida were the quickest to take action. She considered FIU in Miami, but knew it would be too expensive to live in the area. Ultimately, 麻豆原创 was the best option for her because of the in-state tuition<\/a> offered for students displaced by the hurricane and the affordability of living in Orlando on her own since her parents couldn\u2019t come with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so scared to call my parents crying because I didn\u2019t want them to feel worse than what they were feeling because they weren\u2019t able to come with me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

She completed her application in November and was accepted in early December. She dedicated most of her time to preparing for her move. She arrived in Orlando a few weeks later on Jan. 3 with a friend who helped her get settled. At first Figueroa was excited for the move, but when her friend left, homesickness began to sink in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so scared to call my parents crying because I didn\u2019t want them to feel worse than what they were feeling because they weren\u2019t able to come with me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

To overcome her loneliness, she forced herself to get out of her room and hang out with her roommates more. She says the biggest help was attending workshops through 麻豆原创\u2019s Counseling and Psychological Services<\/a> that focused on providing support for students from islands affected by the hurricane.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a Puerto Rican doctor there that is willing to completely assist you in all your needs was great,\u201d says Figueroa. \u201cIt\u2019s a completely different thing if you can express yourself to a person that speaks your main language and completely understands the things you went through because they have family back home.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Growing Into Her Own<\/strong><\/p>\n

While she still has many years to go before becoming a lawyer, Figueroa is creating a change for herself in Orlando. She says back home she only focused on school and work, only making five or six friends as a result in her three years at her previous university.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, I\u2019ve gotten out of my comfort zone to the extreme. I\u2019ve met so many amazing people and I\u2019ve made a bunch of good connections.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cHere, I\u2019ve gotten out of my comfort zone to the extreme,\u201d Figueroa says. \u201cI\u2019ve met so many amazing people and I\u2019ve made a bunch of good connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

She\u2019s maintained contact with academic advisors, as well as financial aid<\/a> and housing<\/a> staff members to ensure she\u2019s on the right track. While she was never involved on campus previously, she\u2019s joined the Puerto Rican Student Association, where she\u2019s made many friends and has gained a support system.<\/p>\n

This summer, she\u2019ll be taking 麻豆原创 Online<\/a> courses while she visits her parents back home on the island.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a part of me that doesn\u2019t want to leave because I\u2019ve adapted to Orlando, but there\u2019s another part of me that wants to be back home with my parents and dog \u2013 and getting free food,\u201d she says with a laugh.<\/p>\n

She\u2019ll be back on campus in the fall, fulfilling her first leadership position as the PRSA\u2019s outreach coordinator and helping other students who\u2019ve been impacted by Hurricane Maria. In two years, Figueroa\u2019s parents plan to move to Miami and she\u2019ll have earned a degree from 麻豆原创 and plans to be attending law school.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaria took away many things from me, but she also gave me many good things that I didn\u2019t expect to have,\u201d Figueroa says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After surviving the storm from the peak of a mountain, Yolimar Garayalde Figueroa is rebuilding her life on solid ground at 麻豆原创.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":82668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[8989,1115,2238,16857,14583],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-82667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-life","tag-counseling-and-psychological-services","tag-criminal-justice","tag-hurricanes","tag-puerto-rican-student-association","tag-ucf-online"],"yoast_head":"\nAfter Hurricane Maria: Puerto Rican Student Finds New Career Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After surviving Hurricane Maria from the peak of a mountain, Yolimar Garayalde 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