After years of studying the historical forces that shaped Latin America, history graduate student Austin Almeido is heading to Brazil as a recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship (CLS).
The highly competitive program provides fully funded, intensive language and cultural immersion experiences abroad, preparing American students for careers in global engagement. Through the CLS program, Almeido will study Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro after graduation, an opportunity that closely aligns with both his academic background and professional goals.
From Academic Research to Global Engagement
Almeido has concentrated his graduate research on the Iberian World and Colonial Latin America, examining how the Portuguese and Spanish empires shaped the development of the Americas. Over time, that work evolved into a broader interest in how historical forces continue to influence present-day international relations, particularly in Brazil and across the Latin American region.
Alex Hidalgo, associate professor of history, said Almeido’s work stands out for both its depth and approach.
“His research vividly captures the tensions, strategies and violence of the period, as well as the nuances required to understand the interests at play,” Hidalgo said.
For Almeido, that work has shaped how he approaches both history and the present.
“Studying history at an advanced level became less about studying the past in isolation and more about learning how to interpret the long-term forces that drive present international affairs,” Almeido said. “It is that analytical mode of thinking, weighing evidence, understanding regional complexity and tracing developments over time, that I hope to carry into foreign policy and internationally focused work.”
His interest in Portuguese is both personal and academic. Being of Portuguese descent, he aims to connect more deeply with the language and culture while also recognizing its global significance.
“Portuguese is far more globally important than many people realize,” Almeido noted. “It is the official language of nine countries, and it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, yet many Americans have little exposure to it or opportunity to learn it.”
When he learned he had been selected for the CLS program, he described the moment as both surprising and validating.
When he learned he had been selected for the CLS program, he described the moment
as both surprising and validating.
“I was incredibly surprised and excited,” he said. “It reaffirmed that the work I
have put in over the last two years was leading somewhere meaningful.”
His advisor said those qualities, discipline, curiosity and persistence, make him especially well-suited for the program and the demands of intensive language study.
Preparing for an International Career
The program will place him in an intensive, immersive environment designed to build fluency through daily language use and cultural engagement.
Almeido said he is especially looking forward to the challenge of developing his Portuguese in a full-time setting and experiencing Brazilian life firsthand.
“Most exciting of all, though, will be experiencing Brazil as a place and its culture firsthand, because culture is something that can only truly be understood by living it,” he said.
Originally planning to pursue a traditional academic career, Almeido has shifted his focus toward internationally oriented work in foreign affairs, policy research and geopolitical analysis, with a regional emphasis on Brazil and the “Southern Cone” (the region made up by Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile).
“The CLS award makes this feel much more like a confident transition than simply a graduation milestone,” he said. “It feels like the perfect bridge between graduate study and the next professional stage.”
With his time at TCU coming to a close, the CLS program marks the beginning of Almeido’s next chapter, one that will take his work from studying global history to actively engaging with it.