Here’s one thing I thoroughly love to do: uplifting others, especially the ladies. We should support one another because women are game-changers when given the opportunity. Women already face too many issues to pit ourselves against each other. I am always inspired by those that have come before me and have led the way for others to follow their dreams. The UPR is filled with amazing ladies that have done exactly that: change the world. Here is the second part of some notable female alumni of our UPR system.
1. Mayra Santos Febres – Puerto Rican writer
Santos Febres is known for writing multiple novels and essays. She finished her Bachelor’s Degree in Hispanic Studies in 1987 and graduated with high honors. Her first two collections of poetry, Anamu y manigua, and El orden escapado were met with critical acclaim. In 1994, Santos-Febres won the Letras de Oro literary prize for her collection of short stories Pez de Vidrio. “Oso Blanco”, a short story from this collection, also won the Juan Rulfo Award in 1996. She has also published children’s books.
Santos Febres has been an influence on upcoming youth writers in Puerto Rico and has also been active in helping to bring books and stories to the less fortunate. Today, Santos Febres is a professor at the UPR of Río Piedras and is the Executive Director of Festival de la Palabra in Puerto Rico.
2. Olga D. González Sanabria – Scientist and inventor
She is the highest ranking Hispanic woman at the NASA Glenn Research Center and a member of the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. González-Sanabria played an instrumental role in the power systems area with the development of the “Long Cycle-Life Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries”. Her technical contributions helped to enable the International Space Station power system. Olga has also been dedicated to mentoring underrepresented groups and actively supporting their development and advancement.
3. Liana Fiol Matta – Puerto Rican jurist and the 16th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico.
Fiol is the second woman in Puerto Rican history to serve in the highest court of the island as well as being the second woman to hold the post of Chief Justice. Fiol received her Law degree from the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras. Liana served as Judge of the Court of Appeals of Puerto Rico and was later appointed to the Supreme Court. She was confirmed by the Senate and began her duties on February 2004. At present, besides being an Associate Justice of the Puerto Rico Supreme Court, she is a tenured professor at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Justice Fiol Matta is perceived as the leading liberal voice in the Puerto Rican high court.
4. Mercedes Reaves – Research scientist and engineer
She is responsible for the design of a viable full-scale solar sail and the development and testing of a scale model solar sail at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia. Reaves obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the UPR of Mayagüez. She participated in an experiment in NASA’s Dryden Flight Center in California where she successfully helped a new software development tool. In present day, she works as a research engineer at the Structural Dynamics Branch in the Structures and Materials Competency. Reaves has also published many works on her experience in NASA.
5. Lisette Martínez – Lead electrical engineer for the Space Experiment Module program at the Wallops Flight Facility which is part of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
Martínez earned her degree in electrical engineering in the UPR of Mayagüez 1993 and was offered a job in NASA. She was part of the team that launched a rocket from New Mexico to gather information on the Comet Hale–Bopp in 1999. She was featured in the November 2002 issue of Latina magazine. In 2010 she was awarded the Hispanic Engineer Professional Achievement Award.
Here’s to more incredible women alumni from the UPR! From literature to politics and science… we hope more ladies can come together to change the world and make history.