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Connections
Connections

Puerto Rican Festival

By Racquel Stephen,
Elissa Orlando, Veronica Volk, Julie Williams
Published July 23, 2025 at 2:09 PM EDT
Four people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man front left is bald with a grey beard and is wearing a light blue polo shirt, jeans and sneakers; a woman front right has short blonde hair and is wearing a brown dress with large white polka dots and beige heels; a man back left has short dark hair and is wearing glasses and a grey and white striped button-down shirt; a woman back right has curly dark hair and is wearing glasses and a black sleeveless button-down shirt.
George Yeadon
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Orlando Ortiz, (background) Adrián Franco and Angelica Perez-Delgado with host Racquel Stephen on "Connections" on Wednesday, July 23, 2025
A smiling woman with short blonde hair sits at a desk in front of a microphone wearing a gold necklace and green and white patterned dress.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
Racquel Stephen guest hosting "Connections with Evan Dawson"

Every summer, thousands of people gather in Rochester for one of the city’s most beloved celebrations: the Puerto Rican Festival. It's music and food, dancing and community, but it’s also something deeper.

For many people, the festival is a symbol of heritage and pride. A space to be fully seen and heard. And a reminder that Puerto Rican history is Rochester history.

Our guests discuss the 55th annual Puerto Rican festival.

In studio:

Connections
Racquel Stephen
Racquel Stephen is WXXI's health, equity and community reporter and producer. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in broadcasting and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
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Elissa Orlando
Elissa Orlando is a producer for “Connections with Evan Dawson.” She returns part-time to WXXI News after stepping back from a long career in public media and in translational science.
See stories by Elissa Orlando
Veronica Volk
Veronica Volk is a senior producer and editor for WXXI News.
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Julie Williams
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.
See stories by Julie Williams