Oi ("Hello" in Portuguese)! My name is Alexander, but most people call me Alex or Mr. W. I was born in Mexico and grew up moving between capitals and cities: Mexico City, Bogotá, Panama City, Washington D.C., and finally Miami, speaking English and Spanish in each place. I studied International Studies and Spanish at the University of Miami and taught grades 5–8 in my hometown. Four years ago, I spent a semester in Florianópolis, Brazil, through the Critical Language Scholarship. I had already been learning Portuguese, and the immersion took my fluency deeper. More importantly, it awakened something in me: a real desire to return and learn more.
This fall, I'm returning to Brazil as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to teach university students working to become fluent in English. I want to explore Brazilian folklore, film, music, and indigenous communities. These are topics I studied as an undergrad that deserve deeper, more authentic engagement. I'll be based in a smaller Brazilian city from March through November, and every week I'll be in classrooms and communities, discovering what it really means to teach across languages and cultures.
What excites me most is this: I want students to see that multilingualism isn't a skill. It's freedom. Speaking English opens doors. Speaking Portuguese opens different ones. Speaking Spanish opens more doors. But speaking all of them means you're not locked into one version of the world. You can understand each other. You can belong in more places than you ever thought possible.
Over the coming months, I'll bring you along through photos, stories, and real conversations. After a lifetime of moving between cities and countries, Miami became home. Now I'm stepping away to do this work. That's both terrifying and exactly right. Bring your questions about language and what it means to find home in a place that's already claimed part of your heart. Brazil will change how you see connection.
Want to learn how you could be a Fulbright Scholar like me? The Fulbright Program is the United States government's flagship international exchange program. Fulbrighters foster mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, share knowledge across communities, and improve lives around the world. Learn more by clicking here!
