Graduate Division Commencement Spotlight: Pedro Craveiro

Pedro Craveiro received PhD in Hispanic Languages and Literatures at UC Santa Barbara after graduating from Universidade do Porto with a master's in Literary, Cultural, and Interart Studies. In the future, he aims to combine his love for teaching with administrative work to improve student life for students. Pedro recently sat down for an interview with Marketing and Communications Office Intern Matthew Choi. Read on for a transcript of that interview!

MC: Why did you choose UCSB for your graduate studies?

PC: So UCSB has a good Portuguese program and I chose it because of the faculty back then, and also the opportunities that UCSB could give to me to improve as a graduate student and also as a future scholar. So that was one of the reasons and besides, it's a beautiful place to live. It's near the beach, and it's a very pleasant town to live in. So that was also something I considered back then, and the opportunities that they give to teach. In this case, I teach Portuguese and Spanish so it's two languages I'm very familiar with and speak fluently. That was also something that attracted me.

MC: When did you first realize your affinity for your chosen discipline? And why did you choose this particular field?

PC: The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers a specialization in Portuguese and Brazilian literature, so I started with that from the very start of my program. In this case, my discipline, I've been working in Brazilian with Luso-Brazilian studies, Luso meaning Portuguese studies, and Brazilian studies since my Bachelor of Arts back in Porto, Portugal. And then I did my MA as well in Brazilian literature. And I decided to pursue it here because of the excellence, and because of the reputation of the program, which is pretty good. But mostly, what I'm working on now, during my dissertation, a little bit before advancing to candidacy, I decided I wanted to do Brazilian literature and animal studies, which is an emerging interdisciplinary field right now. And that's when I realized the affinity, at least to these two fields, for sure.

MC: What inspired your research at UCSB?

PC: So I would say my advisor, and also the love that I have for animals. They were one of the reasons to go looking further into the topic. That was one of the reasons; and also the scholars that I have around me, working with me. The conversations I had with my advisor about the topic and the encouragement I got from her all the time was also something that inspired me to do this research and to continue to do it.

MC: Who are your mentors, and what impact have they had on your academic journey?

PC: I have a few mentors that I am very grateful for. But I would say that the most important people during my academic path was for sure my advisor, Professor Élide Valarini Oliver, faculty in my department such as Professor Silvia Bermúdez, and the Language Program Coordinator of my department, Laura Marqués-Pascual. And also people from other departments such as Professor Jin Sook Lee. She's a professor in education and also was a mentor to me. Also, Dr. Carlos Nash, Dr. Robert Hamm, and Marge Pamintuan from the Graduate Division.

MC: What do you hope to achieve after grad school?

PC: After graduate school and with my degree, I want to teach for sure. That's one of the things that now I'm 100% sure that I want to do. I want to teach and educate, mentor undergraduates. That has been one of my priorities here as a teaching assistant and associate at UCSB. I also found out that I like to contribute to the community. As the Graduate Student Association co-president for the past two years, I found out that I also like administrative work to improve graduate student life. But I want to achieve a job where I can conciliate both. I can teach students, do my research, and also do some service for the institution.