Delaney Rodriguez
About My Study Abroad Program
Major/Minor: Global Studies and Portuguese with a minor in Linguistics
Program: CET Brazil: São Paulo Social Justice and Inequality and the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo
Location: São Paulo, Brasil
Email: drodriguez@unc.edu
Term: Spring 2024
Why did you choose to study abroad and how did you select your program?
I knew ever since I was in high school that I wanted to study abroad in Brazil. I met an exchange student from Brazil and that is when I started learning more in depth about Brazilian culture and Portuguese. These are some of the main reasons why I chose to double major in Global Studies and Portuguese, as both would provide me with further insight into Brazilian history, language and culture. Because there aren’t very many Latin American study abroad opportunities and even less in Brazil, it was very easy to choose my program as my studies aligned with the program in International Relations and Social Justice.
What did you learn about yourself?
During my time abroad, I learned to trust myself. Oftentimes I was faced with situations that I wouldn’t in the US and I became resourceful and resilient in the process. So much so that after the program ended I traveled around the country on my own with no issues. It is okay to not know what to do, what matters is to be patient with yourself and understand that studying abroad goes far beyond academics.
What is one of your favorite memories from your program?
My favorite memory of the program was having the opportunity to visit Salvador da Bahia, the blackest city outside of Africa and Brazil’s first capital. The program granted us the opportunity to visit an array of museums, Pelourinho (the historical city center) and we got the chance to practice Capoeira Angola and watch beautiful performances such as the Balé Folclórico da Bahia.
What advice do you have for future study abroad students?
It is okay to feel out of place, or awkward, learn to embrace being uncomfortable and question why that is. Oftentimes, I found that these reflections held many answers or unobserved cultural differences that weren’t necessarily taught in a classroom. It is okay to feel out of place, if anything you should as you are in a different place and do not always have an established network of people that you know to rely on. Just know that you will always have yourself and you are way more capable than you think.
How do you identify?
First Generation College Student, Covenant Scholars, Scholarship Recipient, Rural County Resident
Memories
