The University of Florida has a 21.2% Latine population. Many of these people are from Latin American countries and have come here to study and find more opportunities.
Far from their families, they arrived in a place where Spanish is not the primary language, and the social atmosphere is different. However, they’ve still created opportunities to celebrate and participate in their countries’ cultures through experiences with UF and Gainesville.
Natalia Rojas, a 20-year-old UF computer science sophomore, left Costa Rica to pursue better educational opportunities than were available in her country.
“There are very good opportunities where you can study the major at the University of Costa Rica,” she said. “However, Costa Rica is a very small country.”
Rojas said she has enjoyed Gainesville since arriving and found a larger Latine community than she expected.
Despite growing fond of Gainesville, she thinks about Costa Rica a lot.
“I really miss my family and my friends that I’ve known my whole life,” she said.
Because the time zones in Florida and Costa Rica are different, it’s more difficult to coordinate times to talk with her family, Rojas said. She also said it’s difficult to visit her family because of the high traveling costs.
Rojas explained that it’s been difficult to find Costa Rican food, even quality ingredients, reminding her of home.
”The traditional foods like gallo pinto, chifrijo, are very difficult to find,” she said.
For those reasons, Rojas said she eventually wants to return to Costa Rica.
“There are many more work opportunities in the United States, thus, I definitely would like to take advantage of those work opportunities,” she said. “However, I’m thinking a lot about later in life when I want to start a family, and I’d like to return to Costa Rica.”
Angela Anzalone, a 19-year-old UF psychology senior, arrived in the United States when she was 14 after emigrating from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, to Tampa to escape the country’s socioeconomic conditions.
“All of my dad’s family is in the United States, so my parents decided to move us here for me to finish high school and go to college in the United States,” Anzalone said.
For her, living in Tampa didn’t offer many opportunities to connect with a Latine community.
After graduating high school, Anzalone decided to study at UF because she didn’t want to leave Florida and because UF is the best school in the state, she said.
Immediately, she noticed Gainesville was an improvement in comparison to Tampa.
“When I came to Gainesville, it seemed much better to me,” Anzalone said. “It felt like the people were united. I feel like I found my Hispanic community.”
Thinking about the differences between Gainesville and Venezuela, Anzalone said although she missed the mountains and the beach, she appreciates Gainesville’s nature, especially the lakes and trails.
Moreover, she said she likes that in Gainesville, “everything is close, I don’t have to use the car that much, I’m able to walk and it’s a small city.”
An unpleasant difference between Gainesville and Venezuela for Anzalone is the social dynamic.
“I feel that the people [in Venezuela] are very close,” she said, explaining that “it’s the culture of always being together – visiting each other’s houses. I feel that in Gainesville I have to put forth more effort.”
One thing that Anzalone thinks would improve the Venezuelan community in Gainesville would be more professional development.
“[For Venezuelans] there’s a lack of support in things like networking,” she said.
It’s something she considers important because the professional system in the U.S. can be difficult to navigate, she said.
Julio Andrés Leonardi, a 19-year-old UF computer science sophomore, came to the U.S. in 2023 to begin his college education after leaving Venezuela.
He explained that he left Venezuela for comprehensive reasons, but he came to UF because he knew that it had “a large population of Latinos,” something he thought would help him “feel a little more at home.”
Andrés Leonardi said since he arrived, he’s liked Gainesville.
“I like the feeling of community that exists at UF,” he said. “I like that, for example, there is a restaurant on University Avenue called La Maracucha that serves Venezuelan food, so those are some things that remind me of home.”
However, he said there are things he misses from Venezuela.
“I miss my family, of course,” he said. “I miss some of the food. In Gainesville, there are Venezuelan restaurants, but there are things missing of course.”
Another thing he said he misses is the drinking age, which is 18 in Venezuela but 21 in the United States.
He also noted that in contrast to Valencia, Venezuela, Gainesville doesn’t have the natural features he admires like mountains.
Thinking about his future, Andrés Leonardi said “I would be willing to relocate again, but I prefer to stay here [in Florida].”
With an influential Latine community, these students will continue to turn to things like food, community and American life to feel more comfortable in a new place.
Contact Avery Parker at aparker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @AveryParke98398.
Avery Parker is a third-year English and History major covering university affairs for The Alligator. Outside of reporting, Avery spends his time doting on his cats, reading, and listening to music by the Manwolves.
