Interview, Nahyr Rovira-Figueroa

Nahyr Rovira-Figueroa was born in 1975 and raised in Puerto Rico. She began her elementary education in public school, but her parents moved her to private school so she could develop English language skills. She graduated from high school in Puerto Rico and received her undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in chemistry and education from the University of Puerto Rico. She moved to the United States with her husband when she was 27 years old so that they could attend Purdue University in Indiana, where they both completed PhDs. They then moved to Rochester, NY, so her husband could work at St. John Fisher College, where she is also now employed.

In this interview, Nahyr Rovira-Figueroa discusses going to school in Puerto Rico, the things she found the most difficult when she moved to the United States, and the traditions she continues to practice and hopes to pass on to her son. She explains her relationship with the Latino community in Rochester, her experiences regarding discrimination and microaggressions, and what she misses most about Puerto Rico. She also discusses the values she hopes to instill in her son and her students, how she views Puerto Rico’s history with the United States, and how she maintains connections to Puerto Rico.