Interviewing Dr. Manzanero, the “Dr. Fauci” of Belize. Image courtesy of Kristi Drexler.

By Dr. Kristin Drexler
Faculty Member, School of STEM

with Dr. Michelle Watts
Associate Dean, School of Security and Global Studies

In late November 2025, we traveled to western Belize to conduct interviews in the villages of San Jose Succotz and San Antonio, as well as Belize’s capital, Belmopan. These interviews were an important part of our four-year study on the COVID-19 impacts to Indigenous communities.

The University’s research grant program provided support for our study. This program has played a vital role in our work, so that we could travel to remote areas and interview Indigenous communities.

Interviewing Health Officials about the Pandemic

We had the opportunity to interview an official at Belize’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Marvin Manzanero, at his office in Belmopan. In the early stages of the pandemic, Dr. Manzanero was on the front lines of informing the public about COVID-19.

Often referred to as “the Dr. Fauci of Belize,” Dr. Manzanero described the planning that went into their national strategy and how international coordination played an important role in decision-making. Due to their previous work with international organizations formulating a plan to minimize the spread of influenza, Belizean officials were well prepared to react when the first cases of COVID-19 emerged in a tourist area of Belize. With his guidance, the country went into a protective bubble with no cases for several months.

Talking to People in San Jose Succotz and San Antonio

We also spent time in two villages, San Jose Succotz and San Antonio, to conduct interviews for our study. We interviewed several important community members, including Dr. Filiberto Penados and Sir Rafael Manzanero.

Dr. Penados is a university professor and Indigenous studies scholar. He is considered Belize’s leading cultural expert.

Sir Rafael Manzanero earned the Insignia of Ordinary Officer of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his contribution to environmental protection. He is the Executive Director of Friends for Conservation and Development. As a Peace Corps volunteer in 1997-99, Kristi worked with Rafael on a country-wide wildlife habitat conservation campaign.

In addition, we conducted follow-up interviews with important community members in San Antonio. These interviews included:

• Newly reelected Village Chairman Aron Tzib
• Primary school principal Russel Canto

Focus Groups on COVID-19’S Education Impact in Belize

In Succotz, we had more follow-up interviews and three focus group sessions to discuss the long-term impacts of COVID-19 to Belize education. Arranged by Nazarene High School principal Bay Rivas, our focus groups included:

• Parents of children who were in high school during the COVID-19 pandemic
• High school alumni who graduated after the pandemic
• High school and primary school teachers who taught before, during and after the pandemic

Through the focus groups, we wanted to learn more about how each participant perceived the pandemic. We also sought to learn about COVID-19’s effects on them and their community, especially regarding education and any long-term impacts.

Some of the high school alumni relayed that they enjoyed the respite from the physical classroom during the pandemic. However, others found it difficult to pay attention due to distractions at home. One graduate talked about his struggle to find a way to log into classes and keep up with work when he had no Internet access at home. 

Parents described the difficulty of helping children with their homework, sometimes with subjects that were more advanced than subjects they had learned during their own school days. In addition, parents faced challenges because they continued going to work while the children stayed home. 

Many families lacked sufficient electronic devices to use for online schooling. Siblings had to share what devices were available. 

Teachers described the difficulty in reaching students, especially younger children. Many of their students did not have internet access.

These teachers often used their own resources to help struggling families and reach out to children in remote areas. Many students struggled to keep up during virtual schooling. Teachers reported that they can still see the impact on children who missed important parts of their educational development for almost two years. 

Garifuna Settlement Day

The focus group interviews occurred on a national holiday, Garifuna Settlement Day, which was fortuitous. Normally, those participants would have been working during this time. (They took part of their holiday to share their stories with us – we were honored!)

Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated annually in Belize on November 19. It is a national holiday commemorating the arrival of the Garifuna people to Belize in 1802.

A newsletter from Full Basket Belize explains Garifuna Settlement Day. Kristi is a board member of this US-based 501c3 nonprofit.

Our Succotz community guide, Shirley Panti-Gentle and her husband Lenney Gentle (our community guide in 2023), traveled to Dangriga to celebrate this national holiday. They both left in the middle of the night to ride a bus and arrived in time to see the re-enactment canoes arriving at sunrise.

We gifted them APU shirts for their service on this project. Shirley noted that the shirts were “the perfect colors to celebrate Garifuna Settlement Day.”

Lenney noted that the Garifuna have a unique language, spirituality and music. Popular foods served on Garifuna Settlement Day include:

• Cassava bread
• Hudut with sere, which is a coconut fish stew with root vegetables like mashed plantains, usually served over white rice

Although we did not directly participate in this celebration, we enjoyed seeing the preparations and hearing about people’s experiences. Celebrations of this national holiday continued during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some of those celebrations were virtual in some areas during 2020.

A Review of Our Four-Year COVID-19 Study

Including our time in Belize, we have now conducted almost 200 interviews during the span of this study. Each interview has ranged from 30 minutes to 2 hours. We spent time with individuals and focus group participants to understand their stories of their experiences during the pandemic.

For each interview, we examined several impacts from the pandemic on Indigenous communities. These impacts involved multiple areas, including:

• Culture
• Economy and finances
• Health
• Education
• Environment
• Governance

We have visited four communities in Alaska:

• Metlakatla in southeast Alaska in 2022
• Perryville in 2022
• Kodiak in 2024
• Ouzinkie in 2025 

We went to two communities in New Mexico:

• Taos Pueblo in 2022
• Acoma Pueblo in 2024 and 2025

In 2023, we traveled to two communities in Guatemala near Lake Atitlan:

• Panajachel
• San Jorge

In western Belize, we have visited two communities:

• San Antonio (Cayo) in 2023 and 2025
• San Jose Succotz in 2023 and 2025

To date, we have published three scholarly articles about our COVID-19 research:

• 2024 Journal of Indigenous Research
• 2025 Journal of Indigenous Research
• 2025 Latin American Perspectives

In addition, we have presented at three international conferences:

• 2023 Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies in Antigua, Guatemala
• 2024 Latin American Studies Association in Bogota, Columbia
• 2025 Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies in Mexico City, Mexico

We have also been accepted to present at the 2026 Latin American Studies Association Conference. More articles and conferences are planned for later.

Get Involved in SACNAS

If you are interested in science and how that aligns with Chicano, Hispanic, or Native American heritage, consider joining the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). This student organization is open to staff, students, University alumni and faculty members.

This organization promotes diversity in STEM and helps its members to create social connections. It also helps to promote academic and professional development. 

About the Authors

Dr. Kristin Drexler is a full-time faculty member in the Space Studies and Earth Sciences Department. She teaches geography, environmental science, earth and planetary sciences, and sustainability for the School of STEM.

Dr. Drexler holds a master’s degree in Latin American studies with an emphasis in natural resources management from Ohio University. She earned her Ph.D. in educational leadership at New Mexico State University with research in socioecological systems, sustainable agroecology, and community education. 

Dr. Drexler earned the Undergraduate Excellence in Teaching Award for the School of STEM (2020) and the Dr. Wallace E. Boston Leadership Award (2021). Dr. Drexler has conducted numerous community surveys in Belize and Guatemala regarding agroforestry, conservation, sustainable agriculture, and COVID-19 impacts and is a co-investigator for the multi-year research study “A Case Study Comparison of Pandemic Experience of Indigenous Groups in the Americas.” 

In the late 1990s, Dr. Drexler served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Belize; she co-founded Full Basket Belize, a 501(c)(3) and has served on its Board of Directors since 2005. She produced the award-winning short film Yochi; she also founded “Science Talks with Dr. Drexler and Friends” to assist teachers during the pandemic. She also serves as a faculty advisor for the University’s wSTEM, AWIS and SACNAS chapters.

Dr. Michelle Watts is the Associate Dean of the Department of Security and Global Studies, where she also teaches in the doctoral program. She has a bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University, a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in international development from the University of Southern Mississippi.  

Dr. Watts has collaborated with colleagues on nine research grants encompassing a wide range of topics. Her work includes “Bomberos, Maestros y Psicólogos: Guatemalan Civil Society Response to the Volcano of Fire Disaster,”“Making Sovereignty Mean Something: Native Nations and Creative Adaptation,” “Drugs, Thugs, and the Diablos Rojos: Perils and Progress in Panama,” “Seguridad del Canal de Panamá: Una Década Después de la Salida de Estados Unidos” (Security of the Panama Canal: One Decade after U.S. Departure), and “Game of Norms: Panama, the International Community, and Indigenous Rights.” She is the principal investigator for the research study “A Case Study Comparison of Pandemic Experience of Indigenous Groups in the Americas.”