Raphael Merritt is an intern for the Puerto Rico Research Hub. He completed his undergraduate degree in International and Global Studies with a minor in Latin American Studies in the Spring of 2022 and has since returned to UCF as a graduate student in the school’s graduate certificate program in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). During his time as an undergrad, Raphael completed an undergraduate thesis on anti-Haitian discrimination in the Dominican Republic and how its history has resulted in contemporary behaviors and issues that face the modern-day Haitian community in the Dominican Republic. Raphael’s interests range from the demographics of Latin America and the Caribbean, immigration, diaspora studies, cartography, and the application of GIS across all of these areas. He has additionally travelled across various countries in Latin America and Europe. Raphael aspires to utilize his research interests and the application of GIS to begin a career in international relations focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.