Meran Paul, Features Editor
Recent Sewanee graduate Elijah Andrews (C ‘24), one of the two recipients of the prestigious and selective Biehl Social Science Research Fellowship, shared his research at the McGriff Alumni House about Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico. The Category 4 storm hit the island nation in 2017 and devastated the island’s fragile infrastructure causing blackouts, floods and collapsing roads. His goal was to understand why thousands of homes remain damaged years after the hurricane despite billions of dollars in U.S. aid and untangled the complicated history between the two nations.
But initially, Andrews knew very little about Puerto Rico, admitting just a year ago he only knew “it was somewhere in the Caribbean and had nice beaches.”
During his visit, he stayed with his friend’s grandmother whose house sat right on the sea. One day while sitting on her porch, he told her, “You have it so nice here, it’s paradise.” She looked at him and said, “My house and my neighbor’s house are falling into the sea. It’s nice until a big storm comes and wipes everything away.”
This story resonated with him because it contrasted what he had believed about the island for so long. He heard more stories about the severe destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Maria. He became curious about its political status within the U.S. which led him to apply for the Biehl Social Science Research Fellowship, which funds students to do social science research in a country where English is not the first language. He was one of two recipients in 2024.
When he was accepted, he got to work. Andrews said he tried to contact every politician and agency involved with Hurricane Maria, remaining open to all perspectives and engaging with anyone willing to share their story. His key finding was that there are not one but two disasters that hit Puerto Rico: “Hurricane Maria and the ongoing disaster of blaming Puerto Ricans for their struggles while denying them the resources and autonomy to recover.”
However, working on the project proved to test his endurance. During his time in Puerto Rico, he considered dropping the project and questioned his connection to the place. While he tried to contact people, whoever he tried to reach out to would not get back to him. Eventually, he had no leads.
However, watching other documentarians commit to their work (such as Ross McElwee) inspired him to finish what he started.
His research methods included combined data analysis and first-hand interviews while his documentation methods used photography, videography and interpreters. Andrews hopes his research will inform his community about the Puerto Ricans. He believes that “if we just hear their stories, and know a little bit about their history, we will see them as people. And the paternalistic attitude we have towards them will completely dissolve as we realize that we haven’t given them the choice to make their own decisions.”
The title of his presentation was “The U.S.’s Deepest South, Puerto Rico: Exploring the Colony We Won’t Admit”. He talked about his inspiration for the title. “I was thinking what’s the southernmost point of the United States, and it is Puerto Rico technically… We won’t admit they are a colony and won’t admit them as citizens either.”
Throughout his journey researching this topic, he realized how much he was not aware of in the world. Andrews advises fellow students at Sewanee and other colleges to suspend judgment. He said, “A lot of people have a story in their heads, then they ‘reconfirm’ what they already think and then publish it.” His suggestion to understand political complexities like Puerto Rico is to suspend judgment and work on one’s listening. On an ending note, Andrews credited the Fellowship as one of the best academic sources of education he has ever had and highly encouraged Sewanee students to take advantage of it. He plans to publish his work in The Bitter Southerner, an internet publication focused on social justice and is also working on a documentary that will delve further into the issue.