By Natalia A. Bonilla-Berrios
LatinaLista
SAN JUAN — Today, 16 cities around the globe will show support for the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) students who are still fighting for lower education costs and maintaining academic programs.
Besides showing international support to the Puerto Rican youth, the World Solidarity Day with the UPR students will also remember the Rio Piedras Campus protests on March 11, 1971.
The observance of this 40-year anniversary will commemorate the loss of one student, Antonia Martinez Lagares, and two police guards’ lives after violent protests took place.
The special observance features a program including conferences, photographic exhibitions, protests and artistic displays in honor of the students.
The following cities are part of this event:
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Madrid
Manchester
New York
Chicago
Boston
Philadelphia
Amherst
Santa Ana
San Diego
Santo Domingo
San Francisco
Santiago de Compostela
Granada
Learn more about Natalia
Natalia A. Bonilla Berrios is a junior at the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) majoring in Journalism and minoring in Political Science, International Relations. Natalia has a 3.90 GPA.
She was the former president of the UPR student chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, a member of the National Society of Collegiates and Scholars and was selected for the ‘Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges’ program, during her freshman year.
In addition, she has worked as an intern reporter for Diálogo Digital, Puerto Rican Center of Investigative Journalism, served as a staff writer for Paréntesis newspaper, and as a volunteer reporter for IDentidad magazine.
Bonilla has served as student representative for the Freedom of the Press Center of Puerto Rico and has been selected as one of the UWIRE’s Top 100 Student Journalists of 2009.
She was selected for the Student Camp at Unity 2008, the quadrennial Journalists of Color Convention and also, as a volunteer for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy.
