As the title of this post suggests, I am a proud Puerto Rican. My parents were born on the island, grew up there, and then made the familiar migration north to New York. Once there, my brothers and I were born. At a young age, we moved to suburban New Jersey where we were raised.
Despite my upbringing in a largely white, upper-middle class area, I was constantly reminded of my Puerto Rican roots. My family took frequent visits to relatives on the island, and my childhood was filled with Puerto Rican food, music, culture, and values.
It is with this blend of both the American suburban and Puerto Rican experiences that I approach this class. I've been lucky to witness many different parts of the urban landscape, both the well-to-do establishments of NJ and the seemingly forgotten hill communities of Puerto Rico. I've seen people with large manor-like properties, and people who built their homes with their own hands. I understand the concept of a city tied to its history and unwilling to sacrifice that in the name of creation and innovation.
My goal for this class is to bring my own double-sided perspective to the planning contexts of New Orleans. While my educational background is in engineering and not planning, I hope my personal background from both Suburban NJ and Puerto Rico will help bridge the gap.
Calle San Sebastian, Old San Juan, PR
Despite my upbringing in a largely white, upper-middle class area, I was constantly reminded of my Puerto Rican roots. My family took frequent visits to relatives on the island, and my childhood was filled with Puerto Rican food, music, culture, and values.
It is with this blend of both the American suburban and Puerto Rican experiences that I approach this class. I've been lucky to witness many different parts of the urban landscape, both the well-to-do establishments of NJ and the seemingly forgotten hill communities of Puerto Rico. I've seen people with large manor-like properties, and people who built their homes with their own hands. I understand the concept of a city tied to its history and unwilling to sacrifice that in the name of creation and innovation.
My goal for this class is to bring my own double-sided perspective to the planning contexts of New Orleans. While my educational background is in engineering and not planning, I hope my personal background from both Suburban NJ and Puerto Rico will help bridge the gap.
Calle San Sebastian, Old San Juan, PR
Glad to have you in the class! I think you will notice that much like your personal experience, people in New Orleans have a lot of pride! While there are beautiful place/people in New Orleans, there are also a lot of challenges with the city. What I think is great about true New Orleaneans is that they embrace the entirety of the city.
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you are taking this class as an engineer. The more perspectives you can bring to a challenge, the better!