Among the Portuguese fraternal associations of the United States, the Luso-American Fraternal Federation is the oldest, founded in 1868 in California. Growing up as an immigrant, ever since I can remember my sisters and I participated in the local and state initiatives and the whole family took part in Luso, as we call it affectionately. We went to the monthly meetings and activities of the local councils and, annually, to the grand State Convention, where we took part in the youth sessions and performed in the Youth Show, the renowned final event. All this was simply what we did, and we loved it! I also remember key Luso figures like Mr. Manuel Reis, heir to the founders who was aware of the legacy they were leaving us, himself the founder of the Luso-American Education Foundation; Mr. Jack Costa, always a gentleman; and Mr. Rodrigo Alvernaz, who passed away in 2021, after 85 years of life, dedicated in large part to the Portuguese-American community of California.

Under their leadership, the Luso-American Education Foundation (LAEF) was created in 1963 to promote education and award scholarships and grants. In 1972, I was awarded a scholarship to attend the Summer Course of the University of Coimbra, the second-oldest university in Europe. It was an experience of a lifetime! I had already visited my native island of Pico from 1957-58 and in 1969, but it was this Luso Scholarship that opened the door to the rest of Portugal for me and taught me how important Student Exchange Programs are for young adults. It was this 1972 experience, and then that of a Fulbright Scholarship during the 1980-81 schoolyear, that led me to create the UA-USA Exchange Scholarship Program at the University of the Azores. Over the years, I have participated in the Annual LAEF Education Conference and, during the 1990s the then LAEF President, Manuel Bettencourt, offered valuable support to the awardees of the UA-USA Exchange Scholarship Program during their stay in California.

Photo of Manuel Reis: https://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/portuguese/

Photo de Jack Costa: Manuel Bettencourt, DDS

Photo of Rodrigo Alvernaz: https://www.portuguesetribune.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2021-02-01/24p1.jpg