LAKELAND, Fla. — It’s been almost eight years since Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane.
Its devastation forced many to leave and move elsewhere in the U.S. That’s the case for one Lakeland man.
Like any hobby, practice makes perfect. For Angel Maldonado, his desire to learn how to cut hair started at the age of 11.
“I practiced a lot. At the beginning, it was awful, after a year, I was getting decent,” he says.
He was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Growing up, his dream was to open a barber salon there. But life had other plans.
Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017.
At the time, Maldonado was in Florida working, but his family was back home on the island.
“Very worrying about how my family and my kids would do afterwards, and of course, we didn’t expect it to be as bad as it was,” he said.
The hurricane killed thousands and left parts of Puerto Rico without power for nearly a year. During the height of the storm, Maldonado lost communication with his relatives for two days.
With so much destruction, they made the decision to leave Puerto Rico and relocate as a family to Florida.
“We started living on air mattresses, we only had the stove and the fridge,” Maldonado said.
Little by little, they started building a life in Florida, and that included looking for economic opportunities.
In 2021, Maldonado realized his dream of opening a barbershop, High Class Barber Salon, not in Puerto Rico, but instead in Polk County. Now, he’s expanding and opening a beauty school as well, known as High Class Academy.
“It was hard for sure, you know, what happened in Puerto Rico, but I think it got the best out of us. We’re actually capable of facing those bad situations and be better and be successful,” he said.
Maldonado found hope in haircare and a new home in Polk County, putting down roots with room to grow.
Maldonado says his next goal will be to expand his academy into a trade school in the future to help offer courses in HVAC and more.
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