NSU Horizons Spring 2018

26 NSU HORIZONS “NSU helped us so much. I have so many things for which to be grateful.” —Yaritza Torres Ruiz The university established NSU Cares to provide assistance to those in need follow- ing Hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Harvey. Since its inception, the hurricane relief fund has raised more than $29,000 for people affected by the storms in Puerto Rico, Florida, and Texas. In addition, with the help of dona- tions, and Dr. Kiran C. Patel, more than 2,500 pounds of goods and supplies were delivered to NSU’s campus in San Juan, Puerto Rico. If you know of students, faculty or staff members, or alumni in need of help, please email NSUCares@nova.edu . Donations can be made online at bit.ly/NSUCARES or by texting “NSUCARES” to 41444. NSU Cares Torres drove every day to NSU’s campus, where live classes for phar- macy students began in mid-October. Her 45-minute commute now took about two hours. Still, Torres and other students gathered on campus every day to charge their computers and cell phones, access the Internet, and pick up supplies such as water, bread, batteries, and flashlights. They met for study groups. Some nights, Torres stayed at another student’s house near campus. Other nights, she drove home to Rio Grande. She and many of her classmates studied by the light of a flashlight. “NSU helped us so much. I have so many things for which to be grateful,” said Torres, who used a gift certificate provided by the NSU Cares fund to help replace her belongings. Through- out the recovery, NSU made the campus a haven for students—provid- ing a daily warm lunch and the supplies and gift certificates provided by NSU Cares, the university’s hurricane relief fund. NSU donors Drs. Kiran C. and Pallavi Patel provided the use of their private jet for relief flights to the Puerto Rico campus. The Patels also donated satellite telephones that operate without cellular service. “The campus became a home for the students,” Ortiz said. “They wanted to return to normal as soon as possible. This was the only way to stay connected to the outside world. Being able to study and see their friends was a great relief to them.” The campus became a refuge in other ways, too. “We used that time to forget about Maria and forget about all the damage around us,” Torres said. “We used that time to think about other things and focus on our studies.” Torres and her classmates finished the fall semester and were back on schedule this winter. Just after Thanks- giving, Torres and her husband moved into a rental apartment in San Juan that has power and water. “Some of my classmates still don’t have electricity. But things are getting back to normal,” she said. “It was diffi- cult, but we made it.” ¨ continued from page 24