Cadets Visit Providence, RI to Strengthen Ties

CDT Williams and MAJ Knopf led a group of seven Portuguese-language Cadets to Providence, RI to strengthen ties with Portuguese-American groups in the greater area and to plan future outreach activities. They spent their first night attending a Capoeira martial arts class. Drums, tambourines, and a berimbau played in the background as cadets learned to cartwheel, roll, and kick in the traditional Capoeira fighting style. The next day, the group traveled to Brown University to meet with students from Brown University’s Portuguese and Brazilian Studies Department. The cadets exchanged ideas and information with Activities Directors Pedro Lopes De Almedia and Samuel Pihan with the hope of establishing a partnership that will enrich both institutions’ Lusophone interests and provide USMA with better perspective on immigrant populations in New England. They all exchanged experiences from their academic and semester abroad programs and discussed areas where the two sides might mutually benefit from exchanges. Brown University’s Portuguese and Brazilian studies program is one of the most recognized in the nation and dates back to the 1960s. The Portuguese Club is currently working with Brown University to arrange a future visit to USMA and to take part in a joint mission of community outreach. After the meeting, the Brown Students led the USMA Cadets on a tour of the campus and took them to a Portuguese restaurant located in a traditional Portuguese-American neighborhood near the university.