1. HCUPR: So you decided to be the ACS president, tell us about the chapter and what it does?
Adolfo: The Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society at the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras Campus is based on carrying scientific knowledge and chemistry concepts to the college community as well as the outside community including people from all ages and academic backgrounds. We do this by a series of activities, which include our ChemDemos, in which we present, in the most interactive way possible, to the audience to get the most out of it; The Magic of Chemistry Show, which is a presentation that we do to show chemistry concepts in the most visually impressive way possible, including demos of disappearing things, color-changing liquids, gas producing reactions, etc. It is also a very important thing for us to include community service activities within our calendar, some of these activities include educational activities and some are just good old traditional community services such as volunteering and donating.
2. HCUPR: You’ve also been working with the Orientation Students (Estudiantes Orientadores), how has that experience been so far?
Adolfo: I like to call it the Peer Advisor and Counseling Program because more than just student orientation, we get certain trainings and workshops in order to be able to give to the new students more than a mere student orientation. We give them tips about the administrative processes, directions to different building locations, information about various campus services that are provided and social integration techniques on campus. We also serve as a connection between professional counseling services offered by the Deanship of Students of the UPR-RP. I’ve been voluntarily part of this program for two years now, and I think that says something. I have been able to further develop features in me such as teamwork, leadership, public speaking, diversity, as well as learning how to contribute to peer integral growth.
3. HCUPR: Major, Age, Hometown.
Adolfo: I’m majoring in Integrative Biology, currently in my fourth year of my Bachelor’s Degree and a candidate for graduation on May. I am 21 years old and I have lived almost all my life in Carolina, PR.
4. HCUPR: What are your hobbies?
Adolfo: As you can see, I don’t have too much extra time for hobbies, but I have to say that I truly love what I do in the ACS as well as in the Peer Advisor and Counseling Program, so that could be included in my hobbies. Being more specific, I just love to help people out, in terms of tutoring mentoring, volunteering, and things like that. Nevertheless I enjoy very much a once in a while escape to the beautiful Puertorrican beaches.
5. HCUPR: What do you want to do after graduating?
Adolfo: Currently my plans are to pursue an MD, probably here in Puerto Rico. So far the plans are looking great, so thanks God!
6. HCUPR: Something not many people know about you.
Adolfo: I have to say, I think that most people don’t know that I’ve only met my father once when I was little and that I’ve been raised by just my mother. As people get to know me, they usually think that I come from a “mom, dad, brothers and sisters family”. So I give credit to my mother Luz Cabrera for all I am. For the record, I hold no grudge against my father as I’ve never lacked anything that I really need thanks to my mother.
7. HCUPR: Who is your inspiration and why?
Adolfo: As I said before, I have to give credit to my mother for all I have and for all I am. She raised me by herself and that alone is a lot of work which increases even more if you include the economic status of being a middle-class Puertorrican. I look to that with much respect and I focus on working as hard as I can and a little more to be able to give back to her and to the world in which I live.
8. HCUPR: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Adolfo: To be sincere, I have no specific view of myself in ten years. I usually focus on goals that are not too long term, I like to live and perform on a more day-to-day basis. However, I maybe have a glimpse of being a Medical Doctor, but I have a tendency of complicating my life up a bit, so there’s somewhat of a possibility of being involved in an MD/PhD or something like that.
*Pictures were taken from Adolfo’s facebook page