The Silicon Valley Portuguese Education & Culture Foundation (SVPECF) was launched to support Portuguese language education at the San Jose State University.

Located in Silicon Valley, the newly founded support group replaces the Portuguese Studies Advisory Board which has served the Portuguese language and culture courses at the university.

The goal is to attract more students and present them with the opportunity to learn a great international language at the university level, while maintaining the language alive within the local Portuguese community.

According to the initiative, students who learn Portuguese will to be more competitive on a global basis by improving their job opportunities. Mostly dedicated to supporting students of Portuguese and Brazilian heritage the effort will benefit the community at large.

Besides providing scholarships, SVPECF aims to strengthen the cultural enrichment opportunities for students through lectures, film presentations, cultural events, and supporting the Portuguese language collection at the Marin Luther King Library.

Portuguese is the language of Portugal and Brazil and the official langue of  countries such as Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, and East Timor.

Spoken by about 240 million people, Portuguese is the sixth most spoken language in the world, where it occupies the third place as the most spoken European language, after English and Spanish. Alongside English and Spanish, Portuguese is also the main language spoken in the Americas.

Officers

Board of Directors: Francisco Alves (Chair), Maria Alsheikh (Vice-Chair), Emanuel Sousa (Secretary), Manuel Bettencourt DDS & Yvette Sousa (Treasurers), Duarte Carvalho Pinheiro (SJSU Liaison).

Members: Stephanie Alves, Dr. Russ Blahetka, Lucina Ellis, Debbie Gentry-Rao, Dr. Nuno Matthias (Consul General of Portugal), Fernando Nunes, Joseph Resendes, Sara Serpa Rodrigues, Filomena Rocha.

Silicon Valley Portuguese Education & Culture Foundation is located at 1115 East Santa Clara Street, Suite 7 San Jose CA 96116

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