Sandra Lea Wise was born in El Paso, Texas, but spent her youth in Brazil. When she was seven years old her parents became missionaries and moved to Rio de Janeiro. Ms. Wise was educated in Brazilian schools and spoke Portuguese until she returned to the United States at the age of 18. She studied at Baylor University where she received her B. A. degree in Spanish. The Latin influence would be a permanent part of Sandra’s life. It always surprises people that this almost 6-foot blond speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently. Ms. Wise has recorded voice-overs in Spanish and Portuguese for radio and T.V. and has released two CD’s of songs in Portuguese,Spanish and English which are sold all over the world. Her songs can be downloaded from iTunes.
Ms. Wise has taught Portuguese in the Peace Corps and also taught Portuguese and Spanish at St. Louis University, where she received her Master of Arts degree in Portuguese and Spanish Literature, and currently teaches both languages at the University of Texas at Arlington.
She enjoys the opportunity to inspire students to learn languages and in the process get to know other cultures. One of her students, Chris, recently wrote: “Dona Sandra is a wonderful teacher. Her love of languages and her love for the Brazilian culture are an inspiration. She is a tremendous teacher and a wonderful person. Dona Sandra! Excellent! Very obliged!”
