A new committee for Puerto Rico publicly introduced themselves at the University of Massachusetts of Boston’s Halloween Diversity Bash held Oct. 31. The new committee, now recognized as the UMB for Puerto Rico Committee, is a new coalition of Casa Latinx, a non-profit student organization on campus. Through an admission fee, money was collected to donate to Puerto Rico for Hurricane Maria relief. The event was hosted by UMass Boston’s Casa Latinx group.

The initiators of the coalition, Ellie Cordero and Melanie Mangual Cordero, sat with The Mass Media for an interview. According to Cordero, the idea for the committee came about during a discussion at one of the Casa Latinx meetings, held every Thursday in the Campus Center.

“I saw the sign for Casa Latinx and I said ‘This is my people,’” said Mangual Cordero. “I felt alone… but with Casa, I’m so happy that I found it… having these people that want to do the same as you, you don’t feel alone… The conditions in Puerto Rico are terrible and having people who care is relieving,” said Mangual Cordero.

She also mentioned that the committee has 15 members, excluding UMass Boston’s UNICEF and members of the pre-med program who have shown interest. Even when one subtracts those numbers, the organization is still growing: “I have so many events that I want to do… we want people to participate in these events, contribute, and have fun.”

“You can donate, but if you’re donating in a way that you can also benefit from, it’s good,” said Mangual Cordero.

But according to Cordero and Mangual Cordero, gaining recognition on campus can be hard. Mangual Cordero told The Mass Media of an experience she had with a student while tabling. “I actually encountered a person, I asked this guy, ‘Would you like to participate in events for Puerto Rico?’ To which the guy responded by saying, ‘No, it’s not like Puerto Rico is going to help my people.’”

“That’s why I want to make events,” Mangual Cordero added.

“Getting people included and making them feel empowered to make a change, to help out and contribute to another community, other than their own, is something we are trying to do,” Cordero said.

According to Cordero, UMB for Puerto Rico is planning to include other Latinx groups as part of their committee with Casa Latinx. “Casa Latinx’s next mission is to bring the Latinx community together at school and outside, so that’s why we want to work with other groups from other universities,” Cordero added.

But for the growing committee, according to Cordero, “There is a lot that’s still in the works.”