Fabiana Sofia Perera - NMU Blog

Assistant Professor, William J Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.

I work in the Department of Defense as a civilian. I work in an institution that works with the governments of countries in Latin America to help them strengthen their ministries of defense. In this role, I have taught civilian and military people from nearly every country in the Americas and have traveled to nearly a dozen countries.

NMU's remote location was an asset to me. Living in Marquette, Michigan proved to me (and others) that I can adapt quickly to new environments. It also gave me the life-long right to feel superior to people who complain about the cold.

The best and the most challenging part of NMU is its location. It's important that you strive to become a person who understands and appreciates people and environments different from the ones that you are used to. Look for opportunities to study abroad, intern outside the UP, and meet people from different backgrounds. I grew up in South America so for me, learning from people of different backgrounds meant learning from Yoopers. (Thank you Yoopers!)

I've graduated from two other universities in addition to NMU: Georgetown University (MA '10) and George Washington University (PhD '18): Northern is still the one I always get asked about.