“E Pluribus Unum
United States Motto
Out of many, one”
I was born and raised in Brazil. In my personal experience raised in a deeply diverse society, I was educated to recognize and value people’s uniqueness. I learned that diversity equals strength. Once I became a US citizen, I learned about the United States original motto: “E Pluribus Unum – Out of many, one”. This statement deeply resonates with my story. At a very young age, my mom taught me that the only thing no one can steal from me is my education. As a Black-Latina, sometimes I get myself thinking: “How did I get here? A Ph.D. in the United States of America?”.
Thinking back, my life is full of “firsts” and “only.” I was the only black girl in my class in a private Catholic school in Brazil, the first in my family to achieve a college degree, and the first to study abroad on a scholarship. My mom instilled in me the notion that education is the most valuable asset one can ever own. Through her example, she made me fall in love with education and its transforming power. I learned from a young age that the only way to climb the social ladder is through good education and hard work. I was taught that it really does not matter how one looks. What matters is what you are able to do and how you do it.
My journey as an educator has empowered me to identify effective learning approaches that allow me to connect with students beyond basic coursework. As an educator, I have the ability to inspire students and help them develop their strengths. Respecting and fostering diversity in all its forms helps me create a dynamic and learning friendly environment in which the students and myself learn together. In my lectures, instead of showing students how much I know, my approach focuses in facilitating students’ active learning. I present them with real world examples and encourage a marketing related discussion. For the class project, I turn students’ focus to social marketing where they work in groups researching an existing advertising campaign that aims to produce positive change in society. In my previous classes, students have picked campaigns concerning issues such as income gender-gap, racial disparities, child hunger, accepting others for their differences, gun violence, and driving under the influence.
I am honored to exercise an active leadership role in several aspects of academia, with an emphasis in diversity, equity and inclusion. During my PhD program I was able to serve my alma matter (FIU) as a committee-member and Treasurer for the Business Doctoral Students Association (BDSA, 2018-2019 term), and as an Assistant-Coordinator for the FIU Behavioral lab, in which I was responsible for co-managing the SONA system. In addition, I proudly served my community through the PhD Project as a Committee Member and Secretary (2019-2020 term). Upon graduation (2021) I joined the University of Detroit Mercy where I currently serve as a Committee Member for the DACA/Dreamers ADUNARE task force, which is an initiative to help create a more inclusive and equitable campus community for DACA, undocumented and asylum-seeking students, as well as students from mixed legal status families. Another service opportunity that I have undertaken is the advising of first-generation college students. In this role I am able to coach students on tactical steps to succeed in their undergraduate and graduate studies, as well as help them deal with what is known as “impostor’s syndrome” which is very common among this specific student population. As a first-generation college graduate and an immigrant myself, these service opportunities deeply resonate with me.
As a researcher, one of my goals is to conduct rigorous research to investigate key components of the financial decision making process (my main research area) and provide marketers and policymakers with knowledge on how to foster a financially responsible mindset, especially to minorities and vulnerable consumers, advancing research that will ultimately create relevant knowledge for the greater good. As an educator, my main goal is to positively impact my community through the transformative power of education. It changed the trajectory of my life and it is my privilege to want to walk alongside my students while they expand their possibilities through education.
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