When Leticia Costa came to Ensign College from Brazil, she never imagined one of her class projects would connect her back to her home country in a meaningful way.
While taking the class Writing for Communication Careers with Brother Hall, Leticia had the opportunity to collaborate on a project for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ São Paulo Brazil Temple Visitors’ Center. The project involved creating a digital map displaying all current and upcoming temples in Brazil. This task blended geography, translation, and cultural understanding.
“My instructor trusted me to help with the project,” Leticia said. “It made me so happy because it was about my home country. When I got baptized, there were only five temples in Brazil. Now there are so many, I’ve lost count. It was amazing to be part of something that shows how the Church is growing.”
Through the project, Leticia contributed to translating and mapping information about the temples. She also helped ensure the messaging and tone fit the Brazilian audience. “Some of the wording sounded very American at first,” she explained. “I was able to be the bridge between cultures and make the message feel more natural for people in Brazil.”
Her coursework gave her the tools she needed to succeed. In her writing class, she learned to think critically about audience and message. In her Communication and Culture class, she discovered how cultural context shapes communication, even among neighboring countries in South America. “A marketing campaign for Peru has to be different than one for Brazil,” she said. “Even small things, like humor or tone, can vary. Youhave touse empathy and think about how people will receive the message.”
That cultural awareness and empathy became valuable skills beyond the classroom. When Leticia later applied for an internship with an international company with offices in the UK, San Francisco, and Salt Lake City, she shared her experience from the São Paulo project—and it paid off.
“The interviewer loved hearing about it,” Leticia said. “I got the internship! Now I work with their marketing and sales team to connect with prospects in Brazil. My Ensign experience really prepared me for this.”
Reflecting on her journey, Leticia believes that what makes Ensign College unique is the blend of gospel-centered learning and real-world application.
“At Ensign College, you don’t feel like just a student,” she said. “You feel like a professional, building the skills you’ll use in your career. Every class contributes a little bit to the professional I want to become.”