To whom it may concern,

I’ve got a pretty interesting story that somebody at the Villanovan might be interested in teaming up with me on – or i could do it myself. So here it goes, let me know what you think.

After I graduate in May, myself and ten other students or so (along with Dr. Barbara Wall, Dr. Carmen Perita, and Dr. Bob Defina) are on a villanova/campus ministry delegation for the first time to Havana, Cuba. Cuba is of interest in of itself, however did you know about the connection between Villanova and Cuba? Let me brief you on my family’s story.

My mother’s family is from Cuba. My mom’s grandfather owned a sugar mill outside of Havana and was able to send my father to Villanova in the late 1920’s. When the depression hit, Cuba was affected, and my great-grandfather had to take my grandpa out of school. Later (1940ish) Fr. Kelley of Villanova contacted my grandfather and asked him to be the Dean of Engineering at the newly established Universidad de Villanueva in Havana, Cuba. My mother and her family lived acosss the street from the University until Fidel Castro kicked out the Augustinians and closed the University. Later, after my mom’s family moved to the states, two of my uncles went to Villanova (in the 70’s). One of my uncles, Xavier Suarez, went on to become the Mayor of Miami for 8 years. Now, I’m here about to graduate at Villanova, and in two months I’ll be returning to Havana. Pretty neat, right? Let me know what you think – [email protected]