"When he said that, my phone blew up," said Alicea.
Cardona, whose parents and grandparents moved to Connecticut from Puerto Rico, was paying homage to his upbringing and what it means to be American.
“I felt how much that can relate to anyone not just a Hispanic person," said Alicea. "It can relate to anyone that is here with different nationalities and how inclusive it is.”
His quote, both impactful and catchy.
Alicea's neighbor, Cathy Martorella, made coffee mugs with Cardona's quote on them. The mugs were initially just for family members. Martorella only expected to make a dozen.
But Alicea and Martorella then decided, with Dr. Cardona's blessing, to sell the mugs to benefit the Meriden Puerto Rican Festival Scholarship Fund.