Mia met her now-husband in Calculus II class at the University
of Puerto Rico, after which, she says, “he promptly ignored me for the
rest of the semester!
“It wasn’t until the next summer that we’d be tossed together
because of a mutual friend, and after having lunch in a group for about
two months, he told me he liked me,” she giggles. “We’ve been together
for 13 years now and married for four, and I am so in love this man. He
is the most amazing man ever! I could go on and on.
“I am beyond blessed to have him in my life, and although we don’t
take an active part in each other’s professional lives” — he is a tech
educator working for a bootcamp school — “we are very supportive
and proud of each other’s accomplishments.”
Mia and Nizar moved from Puerto Rico to Miami in August
2015, just after they were married. Still, even now when she is living
across the Atlantic in Paris, Mia says that Puerto Rico most definitely
remains “home.”
“The people, the food, the music and the natural beauty [of the
island] are just the best in the world!” she exclaims. “Unfortunately,
Hurricane Maria hit the island really hard in 2017, killing upwards of
4,500 of my people. I have never cried so much nor felt so helpless as
I did then.
“My family was very blessed and
got by unscathed,” she continues.
“They’re all living on the mainland
now, where the economy is much
more stable, and they are doing very
well. But I still try to support any
initiatives that favor [Puerto Rico]
and the people there, and I was so
incredibly proud of all the protests
that took place” in 2019, in which
the people of Puerto Rico took to the
streets in massive, mostly peaceful
protest, forcing the resignation of Gov.
Ricardo Rosselló, who was embroiled
in a scandal involving leaked text
messages that included sexist, profane
and homophobic comments.
“Although I am far away, and
it can feel a bit exasperating, I do
my best to help Puerto Rico get
back on track and moving towards a
much more productive and beneficial
future,” Mia says.
Even though it is hard for her
to be so far away from her beloved
island, Mia says she and her husband
Photo by The Dancer’s Eye
Mia with Silvia Salamanca - Photo by Cassie Quinn