Cape Verde's consul general finds balance between personal, work life

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.

Mascarenhas, 46, said she feels there is more that she can do.

"I don't think I have achieved self-satisfaction," she said. "I feel that there is so much more that I can do for Cape Verde and Cape Verdeans in general."

When Mascarenhas was a girl in Cape Verde, she always told her friends and family that she would go abroad to pursue a higher education -- a journey that has taken her around the world.

Maria graduated from one of the country's two high schools at the time. There were no universities in Cape Verde when she graduated. She taught history and geography in her hometown for a few years after high school.

Determined to go on to college, she went abroad. In 1983, she studied Russian and social sciences at the Lomonosov University in Moscow. The next year, she enrolled at the University of Azerbaijan in the former Soviet Union.

In 1989, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in international law. In 2000, she obtained her master's degree in development and international cooperation from the Institute of Economy and Management Technical University of Lisbon in Portugal.

Mascarenhas said she believes that as a woman, she has to find the right balance between being a mother and a professional.

Especially in Cape Verde, women have to do more in order to succeed, said Mascarenhas. The role of women is often overlooked in the Cape Verdean culture. They are expected to be mothers, wives and professionals. In order to be successful, they need to find the right balance.

Mascarenhas is a mother of three, Winnie, 21, Chadli, 18 and Nadine, 2, and lives in Brookline, Mass., with Chadli and Nadine.

She enjoys playing games with her toddler and having conversations with Chadli. Her oldest daughter is studying abroad.

"I do whatever they do," Mascarenhas said. "I sit down on the floor with my 2-year-old and play games, and I have conversations with my son about his troubles and concerns."

Chadli is a student at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

"She knows what is best for all of us," Chadli said. "She supports us when we are on the right track and gives her strength when we deviate."

As for hobbies, Mascarenhas enjoys tennis, jogging, reading, traveling and enjoying different cultures. Mascarenhas also enjoys concerts and traditional music, and she has taught Nadine how to sing some Cape Verdean songs.

Whenever she is not working, she likes to visit historic locations and find out more about the background of each location.

"Some people would think that it is rather dangerous," she said. "But I like to grab a map, get on public transportation and just explore the area.