The University of Arizona’s Portuguese Flagship program is thriving despite national cuts to language funding.
UA secured a $1.2 million federal grant to support immersive Portuguese study, allowing students like Wesley Bowers to spend 10 months in Brazil and complete a capstone internship.
While many universities closed their Flagship programs, UA continues to grow, now with 18 students enrolled and strong retention thanks to dedicated faculty and unique statutory funding.
Students gain hands-on cultural experience in Brazil—from capoeira workshops to learning regional foods—preparing them for global careers across languages, data science, and international engagement.
Wesley Bowers said he fell in love with the Portuguese language a little more than a year ago–so much so, that he decided to minor in it at University of Arizona.
The different dialects, the slang, the pronunciations all pushed Bowers to keep learning, he said.
Portuguese language courses have been offered at the University of Arizona since the 1960s and since then have shared a department with Spanish studies.
“I wouldn’t say it’s even the learning of the language is what fascinates me the most, I would say using the language is what fascinates me,” said Bowers.
VIEW LARGER Wesley Bowers stands in front of an art exhibit at the Mercado Modelo in Salvador, Brazil in the summer of 2025.