90.7 WMFE

Professors and student leaders from the University of Central Florida checked in on Central Florida’s Puerto Rican community a year after Hurricane Maria.

The newly-founded Puerto Rico Research Hub panel, led by Professor Fernando Rivera, addressed concerns students face when adjusting to life in Orlando from securing tuition waivers to finding comfort in Spanish-speaking faculty and staff.

Cyndia Morales Muñiz, Assistant Director of Hispanic Initiatives and panel member, said communicating with students in Spanish offers university-goers an opportunity to “express their real thoughts, the specifics of their questions and their needs in Spanish.”

The university offers mental health resources for those impacted by natural disasters and trauma in Spanish.