I began studying Portuguese ab-initio at the University of Cambridge in 2015, and have since developed an avid interest in the languages and cultures of lusophone peoples across the globe. Over my four-year degree course I was privileged to study a wide range of topics relating to lusophone culture, from the work of African writers such as the Angolan Ondjaki and Mozambican José Craveirinha, to the films of the Brazilian Cinema Novo movement and José Saramago’s novels.

Throughout my year abroad at the Universidade de Coimbra, I relished the opportunity to research the impact of Gilberto Freyre’s lusotropicalismo on the Portuguese Estado Novo during the Portuguese Colonial War in Africa, and was lucky enough to view original propaganda films produced by the regime at the Arquivo Nacional da Imagem em Movimento in Lisbon.

Alongside lusophone cultural studies, I have consistently sought to improve my Portuguese linguistic skills, organising and attending several language exchanges in the UK, Portugal and now in Valencia, where I currently work as a British Council conversation assistant and part-time translator of academic articles for the Centro de Estudos Clássicos e Humanísticos at the Universidade de Coimbra.

I was utterly thrilled to receive the Ann Waterfall Student Award, and would like to convey my deepest thanks to the committee for their consideration, as well as to the inspirational Portuguese teaching staff at the University of Cambridge. I very much look forward to expanding my knowledge of lusophone languages and cultures in the future.

I began studying Portuguese at beginner level at Cardiff University in 2014. Since then, I have devoted myself to expanding my knowledge of the history and culture of the Portuguese-speaking world along with gaining proficiency in the Portuguese language. My semester in Portugal studying Estudos Culturais at the Universidade do Minho deepened my passion for all things Portuguese. As a lover of the arts, I was delighted to experience local festivals such as Festa das Cruzes and Braga Romana and became entranced by Fado, ensuring I attended several performances during my time abroad.

In my final year of university, I became fascinated with the study of Portuguese diaspora communities. I carried out a study on the Portuguese diaspora in France, producing a portfolio in which I analysed how this specific community is represented in both Ruben Alves’ film A Gaiola Dourada and Gerald Bloncourt’s photobook Por Uma Vida Melhor.

This July, I graduated from Cardiff University with First-Class Honours. I am eager to continue my studies in Portuguese later this month as part of Translation Studies (MA) to fulfil my ambition of becoming a Professional Translator.