^{Spotlight Story}
Let me share a little gem of a story with you...

Picture this: July 2021 rolls around, and AAMPR makes history as the first AAPA constituent organization to represent beautiful Puerto Rico. We were pumped! We were meeting like we were planning a wedding—I am talking weekly meetings sometimes even biweekly meetings with all of us in different time zones. During one of our early zooms, I threw out the idea that we should try to reach out to none other than singer-slash-doctor PJ Sin Suela. I mean, with his growing fame and his passion for improving healthcare access, he felt like the perfect ally—a rockstar doctor! So, we got to work: we messaged him, tagged him on social media, and even got SJB students to crash one of his concerts wearing AAMPR shirts and waving signs like we were at a political rally for a candidate—we just did not seem to hit his radar.

Fast forward four years—yes, four!—and then, just a week before the Leadership and Advocacy Summit in Washington DC, Laura is scrolling Instagram (you know, as one does) and BAM! There’s a post announcing PJ’s concert in Washington, DC … the same day we were flying home. Talk about fate knocking on our door! I texted Laura and said, “What if we slid into his DMs one last time? If he replies, we change our flights, extend our hotel stay, and book those concert tickets like we just won the lottery!”

Guess what? He responded that very night, saying he’d love to chat! Cue our frantic travel itinerary changes, and we spent the following days excitedly announcing our newfound mission to anyone who would listen.

Then, concert day arrived, and I felt the weight of the future of the PA Profession on my shoulders. This was our shot! PJ could either back us or treat us like we were two random fans asking for a selfie. No pressure, right? Moments before going backstage to meet him, I was surprisingly calm—after four years, it was time to shine!

When we met him, PJ was rocking a neon orange jacket and a smile that could light up the stage. All my anxiety slipped away. Of course, the first thing I did was hand him a copy of the AAPA’s Qué es un PA flyer to reference (see photo). We had about four glorious minutes to say “hola,” thank him for his support, and explain who we are before we were ushered out by his manager... But wait, PJ promised to find us after the concert to chat more!

True to his word, he invited us into a little VIP area post-concert. We talked about the current PA law and licenses and I emphasized the unique law we’re working on to represent certified Asociados Médicos and separate us from médicos asistentes. He asked if there was a movement of PA-Cs ready to serve Puerto Rico and I was proud to say, Sí!—shout out to you and to the SJB students ready to serve! I even asked if I could share our convo on social media, and he was all: “Claro!" He emphasized that there’s plenty of room for all of us on the island since the need is so huge.