13 Notable alumni of University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras
Updated: June 16, 2026 EliteDegrees
University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras is ranked #1,656 in the world and #407 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 13 notable alumni from University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Taína Caragol
art historian
curator
Taína Caragol also known as Taína Beatriz Caragol-Barreto, is a Puerto Rican art historian, curator, and author. She currently serves as the curator for Latino Art and History at the National Portrait Gallery, since 2013. She previously held positions at Museum of Modern Art and at the Museo de Arte de Ponce.
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2. L. Antonio Curet
1960-. (aged 66)
anthropologist
archaeologist
curator
museum professional
L Antonio Curet is an archaeologist who is a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
3. Carlos Johnny Méndez
politician
Carlos "Johnny" Méndez Núñez is a politician from Fajardo, Puerto Rico. He represents District 36 in the Puerto Rico House of Representatives and assumed the role of Majority Leader until January 2013 upon the resignation of Rolando Crespo as a member of the House in February, 2011.
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4. Nitza Margarita Cintron
1950-. (aged 76)
scientist
physician
Nitza Margarita Cintrón is a Puerto Rican scientist and former Chief of Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center. She currently works at the University of Texas in the Galveston Medical Branch as faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine.
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5. Melba Acosta Febo
lawyer
politician
notary
certified public accountant
Melba Acosta Febo is a corporate executive, attorney, and certified public accountant. She is a former president of the Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico and a former chief public finance officer of Puerto Rico. Acosta also served as the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico, director of the Puerto Rico Office of Management and Budget and chief of...
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6. Gilberto José Marxuach
1910-1957 (aged 47)
lawyer
military personnel
Colonel Gilberto José Marxuach a.k.a. "The Father of the San Juan Civil Defense", was a former officer in the United States Army who in 1951 founded and became the first director of the Civil Defense in the City of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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7. Ramón Luis Nieves
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
Ramón Luis Nieves Pérez is a Puerto Rican politician from the Popular Democratic Party (PPD). Nieves was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico in 2012.
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8. Alexandra Lúgaro
1981-. (aged 45)
businessperson
lawyer
consultant
politician
Alexandra Lúgaro Aponte is a Puerto Rican attorney, businesswoman, and politician who was a candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico during the 2016 and 2020 elections, finishing in third place both times. In 2016, running as an independent, Lúgaro obtained a total of 175,831 votes (11.13%). In 2020, Lúgaro ran as the candidate of the Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana.
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9. Juan Dalmau Ramírez
1973-. (aged 53)
lawyer
politician
Juan Manuel Dalmau Ramírez is a Puerto Rican politician, attorney and a candidate for Governor of Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rican Independence Party. He was previously a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico, and was a candidate for governor in the 2012, 2020 and 2024 elections, with the nomination of the PIP and the Citizen Victory Movement.
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10. María de Lourdes Santiago
1968-. (aged 58)
attorney at law
politician
María de Lourdes Santiago Negrón is a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician from Adjuntas. She is the current vice-president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party and in 2004 became the first woman from that party to be elected into the Senate in the history of Puerto Rico. She currently serves as Senator at-large at the Puerto Rico Senate after being...
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11. José Luis Dalmau
1966-. (aged 60)
politician
José Luis Dalmau Santiago is an attorney and politician. He was the 17th president of the Senate of Puerto Rico and President of the Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico.
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12. Rafael Hernández Colón
1936-2019 (aged 83)
politician
Rafael Hernández Colón was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the fourth and sixth democratically elected governor of Puerto Rico from 1973 to 1977 and 1985 to 1993. He previously served as the sixth president of the Senate of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973.
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13. Nydia M. Velázquez
1953-. (aged 73)
university teacher
politician
adjunct professor
Nydia Margarita Velázquez Serrano is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 7th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented New York's 12th congressional district from 1993 to 2013, prior to redistricting. She chaired the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from 2009 to 2011. Velázquez is the first Puerto Rican woman to...
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