Vitoria Vieira in South Tyrol, Italy

At Western Connecticut State University, Vitoria Vieira said she has “found my place, my little corner.” The Anthropology/Sociology major who expects to graduate in 2025, soon expanded her “little corner” to include Murcia, Spain, and some of southern Europe once she participated in the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) through WestConn’s Office of International Services.

Vieira, who grew up in Bethel, calls herself a “pandemic graduate,” because she finished high school in 2020. “I was overwhelmed by the college process after finishing high school remotely,” she said. “I knew I needed to go somewhere that was close, local and affordable so I could commute. My cousin had gone to WestConn, so I applied.”

It took Vieira a little while to get settled, but after taking some time off to decide if she had chosen the right major for her, she found her stride as an Anthropology/Sociology major with a minor in Political Science. “I love it,” she said. “There’s a lot of reading, writing and cultural reflection. It heightened my interest in travel and cross-cultural communication.”

Vitoria Vieira at La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain

Vieira has been active on campus as a Kathwari Honors Program Scholar and as vice president of WCSU Beyond Borders and the Social Sciences Club. She has become close to several of her professors — among them Social Sciences faculty Dr. Christine Hegel-Cantarella and Dr. Carina Bandhauer — and found a paid internship with the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants coordinated by Dr. Averell Manes. “I’ve always been passionate about immigration,” Vieira said, “and this internship allowed me to delve deeper into this subject area.”

By the time she reached her junior year, Vieira decided that the next logical step in her journey would be to study abroad. “I had seen information about the ISEP program at a Clubs Carnival previously and followed up by attending two information sessions with International Services Coordinator Donna Warner as my interest grew. “A week before the final deadline to apply, I realized it was ‘now or never’ since it was the second semester of my junior year,” Vieira said. “Donna Warner helped me gain a placement before it was too late.”

Vieira, who is Brazilian and speaks Portuguese, felt it was important to her to study abroad in a place where she could experience total language immersion and leave speaking the native language of the country in which she would study. “It was too late for me to get a French evaluation by the time I applied,” she said, “so it was going to be a Spanish-speaking country. There were opportunities in Latin America, but they only offered housing in people’s homes. I wanted to experience more independence and apartment-style living — especially since this was going to be my first time away from home.”

Vitoria Vieira (right) in Morocco

Vieira also didn’t want to study in a major tourist hub like Madrid or Barcelona because she wanted to experience a more native population. So, she chose Murcia, near the coast, where Spanish would be the predominant language in public situations and she would not be able to rely on English as easily.

“I was hoping to find an apartment there in a building inhabited by mostly local people,” Vieira said, “but I ended up in apartment-style housing with a lot of other students who were studying abroad, like I was. I thought I would be around mostly local college students, but ended up meeting students from places far away from Spain.”

The advantage to meeting students from all over turned out to be that the friendships she built led her to be invited to some of her new friends’ home countries. Between these opportunities and visiting family friends who lived abroad, Vieira had the opportunity to travel to Italy, Portugal, Morocco, England and France. “This was super budget traveling,” Vieira revealed. “It’s a different way to navigate life and it was amazing since it was my first time away from home.”

Vieira said she’s very family-oriented and thought she’d be more scared and shy while studying in Spain, but realized it was “very doable.” She added, “For anyone hesitant about ISEP, going during your junior year like I did is perfect. You are already rooted at WestConn having been here for two years and are likely to be less shy and more ready to try something like this on your own. It really depends on your personality, but I’m glad I went when I did. I feel like there is a sweet spot to study abroad for a second-semester sophomore or during your junior year. That way, you still have time to return to campus and get back to preparing for your degree.”

Vieira continued, “I love language, culture, and people who want to learn and explore. You find a lot of people in the same situation when you study abroad. I was definitely inspired by the places I have been and it will expand my horizons when considering where I’m going to study for my graduate degree. I love that I had this opportunity at WestConn.”

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