Maria José Apparecida de Almeida was born at Conceição do Mato Dentro, Minas Gerais, Brazil. When she came to Canada, 1969, as a graduate student, Maria José Apparecida was a language specialist, having studied Philology in Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Venezuela, and Colombia. Upon coming to Canada, she first studied Linguistics, University of Ottawa, completing her studies at University of Montreal, graduating with a Ph.D., Linguistics, 1980. A respected teacher of both Portuguese and Spanish, University of Montreal, since 1972, Maria José Apparecidais standing in this view with Mário Soàres, when the former President of Portugal attended a Montreal gala, 1997. [Photo, courtesy Maria José Apparecida de Almeida]