UPR Aguadilla and Friends of Puerto Rico create a Makerspace for entrepreneurs

By Alejandra Martinez, FOPR Communications Advisor

Friends of Puerto Rico (FOPR), our nonprofit organization committed to economic development, and Universidad de Puerto Rico Aguadilla (UPRAg) signed a partnership to create a collaboration and design an entrepreneurship Makerspace to promote more small businesses in the northwest region in Puerto Rico. Friends of Puerto Rico since 2015 has retained hundreds of entrepreneurs and supported small businesses.

The entrepreneurial programs will provide the first steps to put your idea into action and generate revenue as an entrepreneur will be available at the Universidad de Puerto Rico Aguadilla (UPRAg). The Makerspace will include workshops, training, mentorship and networking events. Students interested in programs in agribusiness will be part of the programs as a complete entrepreneurial journey.

The perfect bridge for economic development

University Professor, Dr. Carmen Berrios, will lead the alliance where the students will be involved. "I believe firmly in partnerships as a bridge to the entrepreneurship future, the alliance between UPRAG and FOPR is a step to continue strengthening the business ecosystem in the university. Though the initiatives will come on conscience," affirmed Dr. Berrios.

“We are happy to offer our students the opportunity to develop their ideas for their benefit as future entrepreneurs. We keep supporting entrepreneurship as a must to develop the country's economy in the northwest area of Puerto Rico", concluded Dr. Sonia Rivera González, Chancellor of UPRAg.

To learn more about our entrepreneurship programs and how to enroll or get involved, visit our SEEDS and AMIGAS section or via email at hello@friendsofpuertorico.org.

Wonder Women’s Month

By Maria Isabel Cales

We have a lot to celebrate this year as Friends of Puerto Rico continues to work for the economic development of women and girls on the island. We also took the time to acknowledge the successes of Puerto Rican leaders. 

The importance of celebrating women is beyond just one month. It is imperative that we recognize the people who perform 66% of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, own the decision-making power within their households and such. 

Women’s economic empowerment boosts productivity. That is why a few weeks ago, Friends of Puerto Rico had the opportunity to interview women leaders and entrepreneurs. 

We spoke with Anette Ruiz, owner and founder of ComunicArte. Small business focused on offering communication coaching. 🎙❤️

A chat focused on Entrepreneurship & effective Communication that you should not miss.

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How to achieve your goals and not give up in the process? Here is the answer. Brew some #CafeAmaLove, take paper and pencil ✏️ to write down all the tips and recommendations that @_ivelisseramirez and @mariacales_ discussed on this IG Live to celebrate women.

Ivelisse Ramírez, coach, entrepreneur, mother and author of the book “Pearls, laughs and a coffee”.

María Isabel Cales, AMIGAS Fellow, training program for women entrepreneurs @friendsofpuertorico

The experience of talking to them and getting to know their story is simply an inspiration. We feel honored to be picked by these women and proud to see their success everyday. 

We are grateful for our women led team for their commitment to impact communities on our beautiful island. 

Our AMIGAS program has served since 2015 as a response to those women entrepreneurs who need a hand that guides and raises them to their highest potential. Friends of Puerto Rico is proud today, tomorrow, and always to be able to empower and help entrepreneurs.

A law student and the AMIGAS

In times of uncertainty, purpose leads the way…

As a second-year law student from the University of Puerto Rico and a visiting law student at Georgetown University Law Center, I was drawn to Friends of Puerto Rico’s Women’s History Month brunch. First, I wanted to meet fellow Puerto Ricans living in Washington, D.C. — especially talented and motivated women — and second, I wanted an excuse to eat delicious comfort food that takes me back to the island’s warm weather. The other factor that caught my eye was Ana-Mita Betancourt’s short bio on the event’s announcement. I read that she was General Counsel at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency of the World Bank Group and I knew I wanted to get to know this amazing and trailblazing woman.

The event did that and so much more.

I was already impressed by Ana-Mita’s academic achievements — Georgetown undergrad and Stanford Law. But, at the event, I learned that she started law school when she was only 19 years old! I mean … at 19 I was barely struggling to declare my undergrad major as a liberal-arts student; meanwhile, she was already surviving the sweat-inducing cold-call questions that every first-year law student evades. Amazing, I thought. But what really stuck with me was her message to lead with purpose; not necessarily with passion. As Instagram-prone millennials, we are always drawn to follow our passions because YOLO (You Only Live Once). On Saturday, Ana-Mita invited us to change that point of view because although her journey has been anything but linear, her desire to work in an environment that matches her purpose has remained a constant and has led her to many professional achievements. That purpose, she said, could be as simple or as elaborate as you desire — for her, it often fluctuated between improving her writing and analytical skills to working among peers that accept her as a member of the LGTBQ+ communities. That way, everywhere she worked, she could at least identify with those matching her intention and ask them for mentorship throughout her journey. Eventually, she made it to the World Bank where she’s been working for nine years and now has the opportunity to mentor others, such as Friends of Puerto Rico’s President, Angelique Sina. From her discussion, I took away that we need to support each other, reject the fear of asking questions, and reach out to people, such as Ana-Mita herself, that have paved the way before us.

In addition to this, I appreciated the opportunity to learn about Friends of Puerto Rico’s team, mission, and projects — such as the organization’s post-Hurricane María efforts to connect the network of people in the mainland U.S. that wanted to provide aid to the island in such dire times. I was amazed by Angelique’s commitment to take on that challenge and grow the organization to serve that purpose. Also, having worked at Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) before law school, I was excited to hear that both organizations — equipped with people that I look up to — are collaborating to push social entrepreneurship education on the island. Friends of Puerto Rico’s Café Ama’s sales will fund an after-school program at the school Segunda Unidad El Pasto in Aibonito — the school that I had the opportunity to collaborate with during my time at INE. It fills me with joy to know that the team will work with Janice, who serves as the school’s Director, and her students. It’s amazing to learn that either in D.C. or in PR, we are all driven by the same desire — to empower the island’s resilient communities.

Moreover, that afternoon, I met wonderful undergrad students that are spending this semester working and studying in D.C. as Cordova-Fernós fellows. This group of ambitious students is pushing boundaries to not only accomplish their own professional goals but also to prove that Puerto Rico relies on a group of conscious leaders that feel connected to its economic and social causes. I feel lucky to have met them and look forward to getting to know them more either this semester in D.C. or when I return to Puerto Rico in August.

Overall, on that Saturday afternoon, I did so much more than eat food that reminded me of home; I found inspiration among fellow women and men who have paved the way for younger generations to keep reaching for their goals in a purposeful way and to serve the island in some way or another.

Mónica Pascual, Friends of Puerto Rico AMIGAS Scholar and Law School Student