From Puerto Rico to Alaska: Ashley Nova’s Journey to the Frozen North
Ashley Nova left Santurce, Puerto Rico, at age 19 for a temporary seasonal fish-processing job in Alaska to earn money for transportation back home. A decade later, at 29, she lives in the remote coastal town of Valdez, Alaska, works industrial mechanical contracts for oil companies, and reflects on a journey that began by sleeping in a car due to high housing costs.
From Santurce to Valdez
The story of Ashley Nova forms part of the ongoing series Boricuas en la Luna, which documents the lives of Puerto Ricans expanding the island’s borders by establishing roots across the globe. What initially drew Nova north was a short-term economic necessity—earning enough money over three or four months to buy a car in Puerto Rico. Those summer stints in the fish-processing industry, however, turned into an annual migration between 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Breaking Into Alaska’s Industrial Sector
Eventually, Nova and her partner chose to make the northern state their permanent home. The catalyst for this permanent move was an educational opportunity at the University of Alaska. Because Nova chose to study mechanics and stood out as the sole woman in her classroom, the university covered her semester costs.
Her primary goal upon entering the mechanical program was clear: securing employment with Alaska’s oil corporations. Operating in the oil sector offered a distinct financial advantage over the grueling fish-processing plants. Working in the oil fields allowed Nova to earn higher wages while cutting down the exhausting 16-hour shifts typical of the fishing industry. By last year, she completed her final season working with fish and transitioned fully to working under contract for an oil company.
Surviving the Elements in Remote Valdez
Achieving stability in Valdez required overcoming severe initial hurdles. Nova recalled that the transition was intense, noting that living in a remote location presented daily trials. Rather than settling in Anchorage, Nova and her partner relocated to Valdez, a coastal town situated five hours away from the city. The area lacks standard commercial conveniences like fast-food chains or large home-improvement stores and experiences some of the heaviest snowfall totals in the entire state.
The financial realities of the region made their arrival especially precarious. With monthly rental rates hovering between $2,200 and $2,300, the couple could not afford traditional housing at the outset. “We started in a car, because we didn’t have anywhere to rent,” Nova recounted, explaining that they took on any available work once they arrived. Their fortunes shifted when a hotel manager learned of their living situation and rented them a boat, where they resided for a year before securing a permanent home.
Building a Future on the Last Frontier
Today, daily life in Valdez revolves around demanding 12-hour shifts followed by time at home. Nova’s partner is pursuing a nursing career, and both have permanently abandoned seasonal fish work in pursuit of better salaries, benefits, and long-term security. Nova attributes much of their resilience and successful adjustment to faith, emphasizing a shared mindset of ambition.
Bridging the Distance to the Caribbean
Life far from the Caribbean introduces distinct emotional and financial strains. Nova points to the exceptionally high cost of living in Alaska and the physical distance from family as the hardest aspects of her relocation. To maintain family ties, the couple stays in continuous contact with relatives in Puerto Rico and enforces a strict annual travel schedule. Every December—coinciding with the coldest period in the north—they return to the island to enjoy the warm tropical winter alongside their loved ones.