It’s been more than a month since hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico and things are slowly looking up for the island. As a Puerto Rican who still has family there, the communication between my parents and I has improved tremendously. At first, it was impossible for any of my family members to get any phone signal. Now, there are many places around the island where people can call and receive calls. Even though sometimes the signal is weak, just hearing their voices for a few minutes is enough.
Another thing that is moving forward on the island is education. Many private schools opened their doors to students a few weeks ago. Yet, some schools are still without electricity or water so they only give classes till noon. The universities on the other hand, are taking longer to get back on track. The University of Puerto Rico from the town of Rio Piedras just resumed classes on Oct. 30. Their first semester will last until Feb. 24 and their second semester begins on March 12. Students who planned on graduating on time are frustrated with the lack of classes they have taken this year. Before hurricane Maria hit, eleven universities of Puerto Rico were on strike against the government from March 28 until mid June. The strike composed of students not taking classes nor teachers giving classes until their demands where met, which they weren’t. Because of these back to back situations, students of these universities have barely taken classes.
FIU has created a way to help Puerto Rican students and other Caribbean students who were affected by hurricane Maria. This semester, FIU is offering a waiver of the out-of-state fee, meaning they get to pay in-sate tuition and also get a refund. Next semester, they also get to pay in state tuition. This waiver applies for current FIU students as well as Caribbean students who where displaced by the hurricane.
Many students from Puerto Rico have packed their bags and moved to Miami to take advantage of this great opportunity. FIU has made it possible for them to enroll at the university as visiting students.
Omar Jimenez, a former student from the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey, just arrived at FIU two weeks ago in order to continue with his studies.
“The main reason I left my island was because I wanted to keep my studies alive,” said Omar. ” I heard that the mayor of Florida was giving the opportunity to the students affected by the hurricanes to study in universities of Florida and pay in-state tuition.”
Jimenez is just one out of the hundreds who have decided to transfer to FIU. According to FIU news, 667 students from the Caribbean have signed up for spring semester.
For more information about the out-of-state waiver or how to apply for a grant visit: https://fiustrong.fiu.edu/get-help/#waiver