Adrianna at Avenida Paulista, one of the most important streets in São Paulo where vendors, protestors, food-stands, and businesses are plentiful.

Adrianna Schuder, a member of the 2020 cohort, is the first Altman scholar to be awarded the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) grant. FLAS fellowships provide funding for students to study less commonly taught languages in their area of study. Adrianna is currently participating in the Summer in Brazil program sponsored by the Stone Center for Latin American Studies. The FLAS fellowship covers the full tuition of the program, plus provides stipends for living expenses and airfare.

Adrianna answered some of our questions about her experience in this program:

Tell us a little about the summer program you are attending. 
"I am studying in São Paulo, Brasil, the largest metropolis in South America, through the 6-week intensive academic program run by Tulane University. In São Paulo, I am currently taking two courses: Advanced Immersive Portuguese taught by the partnered CET faculty, and Current Social Issues in Brazil (in Portuguese). For a total immersion experience, I am currently living with Brazilian roommates in apartments close to the University that I am studying at here, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP). The program also includes structured outings into the city. So far, through the program I have visited numerous museums (Immigration Museum of Sao Paulo, Museu Afro Brasil, Museu de futebol), and visited important parts of the city: Cooperifa - a cultural event that takes place in the periphery of the city where local Brazilians get together to share their sentiments on critiquing Brazilian politics through poetry and art, Mercadão (an enormous market in the central part of São Paulo where vendors from all over come to sell their goods - famous for exotic fruits!), and Catedral Sé to name a few. Last weekend, the program also organized a weekend excursion to historical old-town Paraty, in Rio de Janeiro."

Why did you decide to attend this program?
"I decided to attend this program in order to attain my goal of increasing my language proficiency with Portuguese as well as assimilating into Brazilian culture. I figured this program was an unsurpassable opportunity to help prepare me for my plans to spend my Spring 2019 semester studying liberal arts through the CIEE program in Rio de Janeiro."

What was the application process like for the scholarship? 
"To apply for the FLAS scholarship, I had to submit 1 general, 1 language recommendation, and a proposal narrative (essay about my statement of intent). FLAS awards increasingly focus on people who will be able to use - understand, speak, read, and write - the language they study in their careers. Thus, in my essay I emphasized how I aim to make a global impact with a career in the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, a unit of the U.S. Department of Labor." 

Adrianna summed up her experience nicely: “Overall, the FLAS scholarship has given me this wonderful opportunity to explore an extraordinary city and help prepare me for my future career goals.”

The Altman Program Team can’t wait to hear all about Adrianna’s time in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro when she returns from her junior year abroad next Fall. Parabéns, Adrianna!