A law student and the AMIGAS
In times of uncertainty, purpose leads the way…
As a second-year law student from the University of Puerto Rico and a visiting law student at Georgetown University Law Center, I was drawn to Friends of Puerto Rico’s Women’s History Month brunch. First, I wanted to meet fellow Puerto Ricans living in Washington, D.C. — especially talented and motivated women — and second, I wanted an excuse to eat delicious comfort food that takes me back to the island’s warm weather. The other factor that caught my eye was Ana-Mita Betancourt’s short bio on the event’s announcement. I read that she was General Counsel at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency of the World Bank Group and I knew I wanted to get to know this amazing and trailblazing woman.
THE EVENT DID THAT AND SO MUCH MORE.
I was already impressed by Ana-Mita’s academic achievements — Georgetown undergrad and Stanford Law. But, at the event, I learned that she started law school when she was only 19 years old! I mean … at 19 I was barely struggling to declare my undergrad major as a liberal-arts student; meanwhile, she was already surviving the sweat-inducing cold-call questions that every first-year law student evades. Amazing, I thought. But what really stuck with me was her message to lead with purpose; not necessarily with passion. As Instagram-prone millennials, we are always drawn to follow our passions because YOLO (You Only Live Once). On Saturday, Ana-Mita invited us to change that point of view because although her journey has been anything but linear, her desire to work in an environment that matches her purpose has remained a constant and has led her to many professional achievements. That purpose, she said, could be as simple or as elaborate as you desire — for her, it often fluctuated between improving her writing and analytical skills to working among peers that accept her as a member of the LGTBQ+ communities. That way, everywhere she worked, she could at least identify with those matching her intention and ask them for mentorship throughout her journey. Eventually, she made it to the World Bank where she’s been working for nine years and now has the opportunity to mentor others, such as Friends of Puerto Rico’s President, Angelique Sina. From her discussion, I took away that we need to support each other, reject the fear of asking questions, and reach out to people, such as Ana-Mita herself, that have paved the way before us.
In addition to this, I appreciated the opportunity to learn about Friends of Puerto Rico’s team, mission, and projects — such as the organization’s post-Hurricane María efforts to connect the network of people in the mainland U.S. that wanted to provide aid to the island in such dire times. I was amazed by Angelique’s commitment to take on that challenge and grow the organization to serve that purpose. Also, having worked at Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) before law school, I was excited to hear that both organizations — equipped with people that I look up to — are collaborating to push social entrepreneurship education on the island. Friends of Puerto Rico’s Café Ama’s sales will fund an after-school program at the school Segunda Unidad El Pasto in Aibonito — the school that I had the opportunity to collaborate with during my time at INE. It fills me with joy to know that the team will work with Janice, who serves as the school’s Director, and her students. It’s amazing to learn that either in D.C. or in PR, we are all driven by the same desire — to empower the island’s resilient communities.
Moreover, that afternoon, I met wonderful undergrad students that are spending this semester working and studying in D.C. as Cordova-Fernós fellows. This group of ambitious students is pushing boundaries to not only accomplish their own professional goals but also to prove that Puerto Rico relies on a group of conscious leaders that feel connected to its economic and social causes. I feel lucky to have met them and look forward to getting to know them more either this semester in D.C. or when I return to Puerto Rico in August.
Overall, on that Saturday afternoon, I did so much more than eat food that reminded me of home; I found inspiration among fellow women and men who have paved the way for younger generations to keep reaching for their goals in a purposeful way and to serve the island in some way or another.
Mónica Pascual, Friends of Puerto Rico AMIGAS Scholar and Law School Student
