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Loyola students install solar panels in Puerto Rico

Loyola students install solar panels on a house in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico

While snow blanketed the Evergreen campus in North Baltimore in early January, five Loyola students were on a tropical island in the Caribbean. Although the weather was warm and the sun was shining, these students weren鈥檛 there for a vacation, but for a truly immersive journey of experiential learning guided by Jesuit values.

Over the winter break, seniors Peter and Hannah Graham鈥攕iblings from Downingtown, Pennsylvania鈥攁nd Misgana Yossief, along with sophomore Alexandra Artiga and first-year student Adrien Lee, traveled to a small, mountainside town in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for a service-learning experience.

The five students partnered with a nonprofit organization, a U.S. solar developer, and a local solar energy company to install solar panels on a single-family house in the town of Adjuntas, providing the resident with access to a clean, reliable energy source. The project took a Jesuit approach to education by integrating academic concepts with real-world applications and a humanitarian purpose.

The trip, which was chaperoned by Suzanne Keilson, Ph.D., associate professor of engineering, was entirely student-inspired and student-led. 

The Inspiration

That inspiration came during the summer of 2024, when Peter Graham鈥攁 computer and electrical engineering major鈥攚as working for , a solar developer founded by Bill Jordan that seeks to empower progress through sustainability. Bill and his wife, Nancy, also founded the (LSTS), a nonprofit that recently received a federal grant for 200 solar projects in Adjuntas.

As part of a team retreat in July, Nancy had employees participate in an exercise where they closed their eyes and imagined what it would be like to not have power for three months after a hurricane. 

鈥淚 thought about having to get food every day with no refrigeration, not being able to call for help, and not knowing what your life would look like anymore,鈥 said Peter. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I could imagine what it would be like for someone who is older and relies on electrical medical devices. That is what originally made me want to get involved and give back.鈥

Peter approached Keilson in August about partnering with LSTS for a trip to Puerto Rico to bring solar energy to communities and people in need. Once the idea had been approved and international program requirements had been met, the pair worked quicky to get a survey application up and running. By the midterm break in October, they had a team in place and began fundraising and collaborating with LSTS to establish the main framework and itinerary for the trip.

鈥淧eter was excited and really wanted to make this happen,鈥 said Keilson. 鈥淗e did a tremendous job initiating and leading all of the behind-the-scenes work.鈥

The Project

The five Loyola students and Keilson flew into the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan on Jan. 7, where they met Bill Jordan and other LSTS members before continuing their journey. Upon arrival in Adjuntas, the group visited , an environmental community organization and partner of LSTS. They also toured the town, including a section where LSTS had completed nearly 40 previous solar installations. 

鈥淎s prices have dropped and efficiencies have increased, Adjuntas has committed to becoming 100% solar,鈥 explained Keilson. 鈥淏atteries, inverters, and the solar panels themselves are part of the sustainability revolution and a supply chain that can support U.S. manufacturing.鈥

The next morning was installation day at a secluded home in the mountains of Adjuntas. The hands-on technical experience was mentored by , a local solar energy company.  The project ensures that infrastructure and opportunity exist for the maintenance and longevity of any installed equipment, which can be for more than two decades. 

Peter estimates that Loyola students performed about 80 percent of the installation, including hammering in the studs, installing brackets and racking, and wiring and securing the panels. ISO handled the technical wiring, which requires proper training.

Making an Impact

Following the installation, the group met the beneficiary, Rosa, inside her house to better understand and appreciate the various nontechnical political, economic, and social factors that impact people鈥檚 lives, including their health and access to technology.

Rosa suffers from chronic respiratory issues and diabetes, and she requires 24/7 supplemental oxygen through a machine, as well as refrigeration for her diabetes medication. Rosa and her daughter, who is also living with disabilities, rely on access to power and electricity for their medical devices. When there is no power, electronic medical devices will not work. This has led to Rosa being hospitalized multiple times due to power outages in Adjuntas.

Power outages are a in Puerto Rico due to aging infrastructure and deficits in power generation, issues made worse by tropical storms and hurricanes that have damaged the electric grid and subsequent repairs to it. On New Year鈥檚 Eve, nearly the entire island was left in the dark due to a caused by the failure of an underground power line.

When these sudden outages strike, it is not easy for Rosa and her daughter to travel from their secluded, mountainside home to a hospital for the care they need, but they had no choice. That is, until now.

鈥淭he ability to give this woman solar so she no longer needs to worry about going to the hospital because her oxygen machine does not have power to work, words cannot even describe what it meant,鈥 said Peter. 

Despite the challenges she faces, Rosa鈥檚 conversation with the students focused on how much she loves her life in Adjuntas. She spoke to them about her culture and the celebration of Three Kings鈥 Day on Jan. 6, and showed them beautiful handmade blankets and animals which she had crocheted.

 鈥淭he thing that touched me most on the trip was seeing her optimism and selflessness,鈥 recalled Peter. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 talk about her condition or health. She saw the best in every opportunity.鈥

鈥淧eter鈥檚 heart is huge, and he takes real joy in bringing real things into the world,鈥 said Keilson. 鈥淗e was not afraid during the trip to show how moved he was by the work and the project鈥檚 beneficiary."

Reflection

Following the installation at Rosa鈥檚 house, the group had some time to themselves and visited a local waterfall in the beautiful southern mountains of Puerto Rico. After dinner, they had a group reflection on the installation where they talked about how fulfilling it had been to give back.

The next day, they had a chance to meet with and learn from the founder of Casa Pueblo, Alexis Massol Gonzalez. An environmentalist and civil engineer, he received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002 for Casa Pueblo as 鈥渁 community organization that protects the environment, affirms cultural and human values, and creates sustainable economic alternatives.鈥 The organization was instrumental in the installation of a community solar microgrid with community art as a functional and welcoming gathering place in Adjuntas.

Upon returning home to Loyola and the start of an eventful spring semester, the students and Keilson took time to write reflections about their transformative experience in Puerto Rico. Keilson hopes that the trip returns in 2026, and that some students from this year鈥檚 trip might spearhead that iteration.

鈥淲e hope to continue the project and collaboration with Let鈥檚 Share the Sun under the leadership of Loyola students while recruiting beyond NAS majors,鈥 said Keilson. 鈥淭his is an experience for everyone, regardless of major.鈥