As a foreign languages student, it’s no surprise that I would look for international exchange opportunities. Basically everyone from my department strives to travel as a way to fully immerse themselves in the language or languages they’re learning as part of their degree. Sadly, I started to look into this a little too late, as I am about to graduate and exchange opportunities are aimed at newer students. While it was a bit demoralizing, it wasn’t the end of my dabbling with the university’s International Relations Department (DARI). Around the same time, a good friend of mine mentioned that she was a part of a student organization that worked with exchange students who came to the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus (IUPI): Mentores a lo Boricua!
I must admit, dear reader, I was intrigued and very, very interested in joining, so I did! As of this semester, I have been a mentor for a full year and am pretty darn happy about it. With support from the DARI, Mentores a lo Boricua (MeBo, as it’s affectionately referred to) is a group of students from la IUPI who assume the role of being exchange students’ mentors. As mentors, we are a kind of guide for these international students as they learn to navigate life here on our island. We also share all sorts of information with our students, from historical background on Puerto Rico to fun tidbits about our upbringing!
However, it’s not all about us bombarding them with information. Everyone is encouraged to share and the product of that is a lovely cultural exchange at an organization-wide scale. Because we receive students from all over the world, we are all able to expand our understanding about cultures we might not be too familiar with. Overall, it’s a very wholesome experience that can lead to strong bonds being formed, not just between students and mentors, but even amongst the exchange students themselves. I’m sure many who’ve already gone home still stay in touch with others from MeBo (I know I do!).
Before going any further, let me explain how exactly things operate at MeBo! The entire group of mentors and students are divided into smaller subgroups. Each mentor is assigned a handful of students and a co-mentor that they will spend time and plan individual activities with. However, these smaller groups aren’t set in stone and every person is more than welcome to intermingle with any friends they might make throughout the semester. Besides individual activities, group activities that are planned by the club board also happen (approximately) every other week during the semester. Some examples of group activities are a tour around Old San Juan…
… Paint & Sips…
… visiting El Yunque…
… Thanksgiving lunch…
And many more!
As someone who is passionate about learning about other cultures, being a part of MeBo has been a wonderful experience. The students I’ve met have made this labor of love completely worth all the effort and hours I’ve invested. But the Mentores a lo Boricua experience isn’t limited to just us languages students; we welcome students from all faculties. Even without the international aspect, becoming a mentor is a great leadership opportunity and you’ll get the chance to meet a ton of people and form meaningful bonds during your college years. Plus, you’ll get the chance to participate in all those fun activities I told you about!
To wrap things up, as you may have gathered by now, MeBo has an Instagram page where you can keep up to date with our activities! Feel free to follow us and maybe even join the mentor team when we start the recruitment process for next semester. If this happens to reach someone who wants to do an exchange here at la IUPI, please don’t hesitate to ask about MeBo while sorting things out with the DARI! We’d love to meet you!