Manuel Suarez Pallas​

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Hometown: Villahermosa, Tabasco. 

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Major: Community Development. 

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Languages: Spanish, English. 

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Hobbies: Hiking, film, photography, soccer, traveling.

Biography:

My name is Manuel Suárez Pallas, I was born in Villahermosa Tabasco, Mexico. Tabasco is a small coastal southern state along the Gulf of Mexico. I had the pleasure of living in Villahermosa for 13 years before moving to San Antonio, Texas in the US. My father’s family origins come from Spanish and Italian immigrants who settled in Paraíso Tabasco (a coastal town about an hour away from Villahermosa). From my mother’s side of the family, my grandfather is from Veracruz, Mexico, and my grandmother is from a rural town called Muriaé in Brazil. When we left Mexico to move to San Antonio, we would travel back to Villahermosa all summer and winter breaks.  After graduating from high school in Texas, I decided to go to Portland State and major in community development. My sophomore year I studied abroad in London, Paris, Rome, Shanghai, and Sydney, where I spent 6 weeks in each city. Such opportunity opened my worldview and helped me understand the differences between cultures , and the importance of honoring and learning about each of them.

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The pandemic brought me closer to home and gave me the opportunity to spend a bit more than a year in my hometown surrounded by my family. This past year helped me realize the beauty, importance, and culture of my state and country. A culture that ranges from prehispanic civilizations, a blend of different backgrounds, unique gastronomy, and beautiful landscapes. A culture which I’m glad to call my own and excited to share with other people. This fall I'm coming back to Portland to finish my senior year.