From Portuguese at Home to Food Policy Research in Brazil

For Sophia Mills '27, Brazil felt familiar long before she ever visited. Growing up, her father spoke Portuguese at home, teaching her words and phrases that sparked an early curiosity about the language and culture. Years later, that curiosity led her to enroll in PORTUG 15 at Harvard, a decision that set in motion an academic journey spanning language study, immersive learning, public policy research, and, ultimately, a senior thesis on Brazil's food systems.

Sophia's first experience in Brazil came through the Harvard Summer School Portuguese Immersion Program, where living with a host family transformed classroom learning into everyday conversation. Beyond strengthening her language skills, the program introduced her to Brazil's rich culture and deepened her understanding of the country's social and political landscape. A visit to Minas Gerais proved especially influential, offering the opportunity to meet communities confronting some of Brazil's most pressing social challenges and to learn how local organizations mobilize to advocate for justice. The experience left her with a lasting appreciation for Brazil and inspired her to return.

Building on that experience, Sophia returned to Brazil the following summer through DRCLAS's Summer Internship Program (SIP), joining Ação da Cidadania, a nonprofit dedicated to combating hunger and advancing food and nutritional security across Brazil. There, she researched the public policies that shape Brazil's food security system, visited communities served by the organization, and gained firsthand insight into how civil society and government work together to address food insecurity.

The relationships Sophia built through SIP continued long after the internship ended. After volunteering to help Ação da Cidadania prepare for its first participation in New York Climate Week, she remained involved in the organization's planning efforts and later joined the team in New York for the event.

Reflecting on the internship, Sophia shared, "Working with Ação da Cidadania changed my academic aspirations and career trajectory. I learned what it means to fight for a sustainable food system and saw how public policy and community organizations can work together to create lasting change."

Today, those experiences continue to shape Sophia's scholarship. Supported by the Ray Goldberg Fellowship in Global Food Systems at Harvard Kennedy School, she recently returned to Brazil to conduct fieldwork for her senior thesis, comparing why Brazil has adopted stronger policies regulating ultra-processed foods than the United States. Drawing on interviews with researchers, policymakers, and civil society leaders across São Paulo, Brasília, and Rio de Janeiro, her research represents the culmination of a journey that began with childhood conversations in Portuguese and grew through Harvard's language programs, DRCLAS's Summer Internship Program, and sustained engagement with Brazil.