Spring Break
Cape Verde's consul general finds balance between personal, work life
Anice Barbosa
Issue date: 2/18/09 Section: News
02/18/09 - The University of Rhode Island Cape Verdean Student Association celebrated the legacy of Amilcar Cabral, a political activist, last month. The story of Maria Jesus Mascarenhas is another legacy that Cape Verde will leave behind.
When Mascarenhas was a young girl, her parents would take her and her siblings out to the fields in Santiago, Cape Verde.
There, Mascarenhas saw how people toiled on the land for a living. It was backbreaking labor that left an impression on the young girl.
"They took us out there to show us that we needed to work, and most importantly to show us how rough it can be," Mascarenhas said.
Mascarenhas, the oldest of 11 children, grew up in a middle-class family in Santiago and her labor was not needed for the maintenance and sustainability of the crops.
But on those fields, Mascarenhas learned a lesson. She would set her sights on pursuing her education.
"Our parents always emphasized the importance of education to us, and I owe all I am to them," Mascarenhas said.
Today, Mascarenhas is the second-highest ranking representative from the islands in the United States.
As consul general, Mascarenhas works with the Cape Verdean community in the United States to help them integrate into American culture.
She also strives to create good relations with the communities where Cape Verdeans reside, and she promotes economic relations between the two countries.
It is the latest step in a career that has propelled her through the ranks of Cape Verdean diplomatic service.
Mascarenhas joined the diplomatic service in 1989. She has been involved in many internal and international affairs from there on.
She held key positions in the Cape Verdean Embassy in Portugal from 1995 to 1999. In 2001, she was appointed Secretary of State for the youth. In 2004, she was appointed to the position of diplomatic adviser to the Cape Verdean prime minister.
In 2005, she was named consul general in Boston. This is the normal progression of the career Mascarenhas has chosen; the next step would be ambassador.
When Mascarenhas was a young girl, her parents would take her and her siblings out to the fields in Santiago, Cape Verde.
There, Mascarenhas saw how people toiled on the land for a living. It was backbreaking labor that left an impression on the young girl.
"They took us out there to show us that we needed to work, and most importantly to show us how rough it can be," Mascarenhas said.
Mascarenhas, the oldest of 11 children, grew up in a middle-class family in Santiago and her labor was not needed for the maintenance and sustainability of the crops.
But on those fields, Mascarenhas learned a lesson. She would set her sights on pursuing her education.
"Our parents always emphasized the importance of education to us, and I owe all I am to them," Mascarenhas said.
Today, Mascarenhas is the second-highest ranking representative from the islands in the United States.
As consul general, Mascarenhas works with the Cape Verdean community in the United States to help them integrate into American culture.
She also strives to create good relations with the communities where Cape Verdeans reside, and she promotes economic relations between the two countries.
It is the latest step in a career that has propelled her through the ranks of Cape Verdean diplomatic service.
Mascarenhas joined the diplomatic service in 1989. She has been involved in many internal and international affairs from there on.
She held key positions in the Cape Verdean Embassy in Portugal from 1995 to 1999. In 2001, she was appointed Secretary of State for the youth. In 2004, she was appointed to the position of diplomatic adviser to the Cape Verdean prime minister.
In 2005, she was named consul general in Boston. This is the normal progression of the career Mascarenhas has chosen; the next step would be ambassador.
