I would get this question a lot every time I told someone I was a Spanish major but that my mother country is Brazil. At first, I did not know the answer to that question myself. 

Here’s a little back story about myself that I believe is essential to my journey at UMass. I was born in the metropolitan city of São Paulo, Brazil, and is where most my family currently lives. When I was five years old, my dad got offered a job as the manager for a company plant, however, this would be a long-term position in China. Yes, China! My mom sacrificed her musical career in Brazil because she knew living in China would ultimately bring us to the U.S. at some point in the future, which would give me a better education than in Brazil (she’s my ultimate role model). So we packed our bags and moved across the world to a country I had zero connection to. Little did I know that I would be spending 11 years of my life abroad. While living China, I attended a British international school and this is where I learned fluent English and (not-so-fluent) Mandarin. As I got older, I was given the opportunity to learn Spanish, which I quickly picked up and loved to learn. Because my school was so small, they did not offer Portuguese classes, so my parents decided to speak to me in Portuguese at home so that I would not lose my mother tongue. And I am so grateful that they did because now I speak 4 of the most spoken languages in the world, which means I can converse with 4 different groups of people around the world. When I got to high school, I decided to drop Chinese and focus on Spanish instead. This is one of my major regrets in life because now that I’m in college I do not have time to take it up again and I wish that I could speak more than just the basics of conversational Mandarin. I have met so many Chinese speakers here at UMass that I hear Chinese being spoken all around me: in the dining halls, in the library, in the dorms, and it makes me long for the beautiful language and culture I once knew so well. I have learned from my unwise decision, which is why I am so determined to continue Spanish and to become fluent in it. 

When I first applied to UMass, my major was undecided, but I knew I wanted to go on the pre-med track. I thought that because I wanted to go to medical school, I would have to major in some sort of science class. At my freshman NSO (New Student Orientation), my advisor told me I wasn’t confined to just STEM classes and that I could do anything I wanted. She asked me: what do you love to do? I quickly realized how much I love Spanish and decided to choose that as my major. My great grandmother was from Spain, so my mom grew up speaking Spanish at home a lot as my grandmother also spoke it. So in a way I have always felt connected to the culture and the language.

Fast forward to the present, I am now in my sophomore year pursuing a double major in Spanish and Biology on the pre-med track. I am already fluent in English and Portuguese, so I figured if I could improve my Spanish skills, I could use my ability with languages to communicate with patients and other doctors. The number of Spanish speakers in the U.S. is rising, and many don’t know how to speak English. Specifically in Massachusetts, there are also many Portuguese speakers. This means I could talk to my patients in a language they feel comfortable with and I could form deeper relationships with them in this way, which could relieve some of the pressure off them. 

I visit Brazil quite frequently, so I am super connected with my culture and language as I also speak it at home and with my twin sister (who also goes to UMass). My freshman year at UMass, I did not meet many Brazilians and felt like I was always on the outside (just like I did when I was living in China). However, this year, a Portuguese professor approached me and some of my friends to see if we were interested in restarting a Portuguese-speaking club that had been inactive for a few years. Now, that club is called BrASA – Brazilian American Student Alliance – and it has been one of the best things I have found on campus. As the vice president of the RSO, I have met more Brazilians in one semester than I did in one year. It was amazing to see that there are many Brazilian’s on campus, people that I can bond with and who I can relate to.

So when asked why is my major Spanish instead or Portuguese, this is why. Just because I am from one country, that doesn’t mean I am confined to stick with only that culture. I enjoy learning Spanish and I’m excited to see where the Salamanca Summer Program this summer takes me.