Faculty of the Week: Viviana Santos

By ANVI BHATE and ANDREW YUAN

If anyone on campus could be considered a world citizen with experiences from a vast range of cultures and countries, there is no one more fitting than Viviana Santos. Spending her free time traveling and exploring new art and cuisines, Santos thoroughly enjoys discovering new corners of the world—both for self-fulfillment, and to create opportunities for students and their futures.

Serving as a French, Spanish, and Italian teacher on campus, Santos’ multi-cultural background is prominent in everything she does. Growing up in Puerto Rico, daughter of two Cuban immigrants, Santos’ childhood experiences influenced much of her love for travel and spreading education. 

Having been born into a family of “political exiles,” many of her relatives were forced to flee their countries in order to be able to speak and move freely. “I was raised on a diet of stories of longing and lost opportunities. But also stories of tremendous resilience,” Santos described.

Once they settled down in Puerto Rico, her parents rebuilt their lives and earned her many opportunities to learn, travel and believe in her future. The strong women in her life at the time also had a large impact on what she believed in. “My grandmother who was from Oviedo in Asturias had a fourth grade education,” Santos said. “My mother was one of the first women to earn a degree in Accounting from the Escuela de Comercio at the University of Havana.” 

“I learned from a very early time that education is power,” she added. 

Her continuation into higher education only nourished this idea, and after graduating university, Santos went on to finish a Ph.D. in eighteenth century French literature by women, and the creation of the marriage contract as a literary construct. Moving to Philadelphia with her husband, she taught French and Spanish at Rutgers, University of Delaware, and St. Joseph’s University. 

Santos recounted how she ended up teaching at the Academy: “My husband was a special operations pilot in the United States Air Force, and was planning to transition into commercial flying. We had two young children and Exeter seemed like a good environment for me to teach and for us to raise our children in a supportive community.”

Throughout her time at the Academy, Santos has been well known and loved for being one of the kindest and most helpful French and Spanish teachers. Many students said her class is the most fun, which is reflected in her learning philosophy. “Learning should not be about grades or tests or work,” Santos explained her ideas. “It should be about the wonder that comes with discovery.” 

“Learning, ideally, is a process that brings you fulfillment and fuels your interests and allows you to broaden your experiences,” Santos continued.

Lower Deborah Ang praised Santos for her helpful approach to students and the community. “She’s been at Exeter for such a long time, and she knows so much and is really helpful in all aspects of Exeter life. She is really caring and always makes time for any students who come to her for help,” she said. 

Upper Ki Odums also noted Santos’ devotion to her students. “She’s just super understanding and always has your back. Even if things outside the class are impacting how you’re doing, she’s so willing to give you space to open up and sort of address what needs to be addressed but then also push you to sort of better yourself and engage with the class.” 

Students especially appreciated Santos’ ability to connect with students outside of the classroom. “She really makes an effort to get to know people outside of their role as a student, and makes them feel valued for who they are as a person,” senior Lila Busser commented.   

Santos reciprocated many of their sentiments, sharing that the students are one of her favorite aspects of teaching at Exeter. “They are curious, thoughtful and so smart,” she commented about the students she works with. “I really enjoy developing relationships, hearing about their days. Being with students is energizing.”

To Santos, education at the Academy and beyond revolves around creating pathways for students to achieve their goals. “I have spent the past 10 years working with students who apply to college through the Questbridge program. This is an amazing scholarship opportunity for students who have been historically marginalized and for whom educational opportunities are not guaranteed,” Santos mentioned. 

“I have rejoiced every year that one of the students I referred is able to make the college dream come true. This is what education for me is all about—creating opportunities and making access real,” she said.

Santos mirrors many of the qualities she expresses through teaching in her personal life as well, immersing herself in exploration of new cultures and languages. “I think language is a conduit to learn about how others live,” she said. “To immerse yourself in another culture and to see the world through a broader lens is the point of learning a new language, reading new literature, appreciating art and music and cuisine.”

“Language is about fostering understanding and creating awareness of how much richer our lives can be when we embrace a worldview that is based on the richness of diversity,” Santos added, when asked what she most enjoys about linguistics.

Apart from being an inspiring and understanding teacher, she is also a beloved advisor and caring dorm faculty. Senior Alex Singh, one of her advisees, recounted just how much she enriched her Exeter experience. “At times she has been a teacher, a friend, a mother, and a steady compass,” Singh said. “I also knew her as a family friend well before coming to Exeter. She has always been someone I am motivated and inspired by.”

“She’s guided me, pushed me, taught me not to take myself too seriously. She has demonstrated how to be a strong woman who challenges institutional norms,” Singh continued. “She has been the glue that helps me hold everything together during my four years here. I could not imagine my experience here without her loving support.” 

Speaking about what Santos brought to the Exeter community in general, Singh commented, “Ms. Santos brings a unique sense of care to the Exeter community. She goes out of her way to help students feel sincere support. She is always a friendly face, and a strong advocate for her students.”

When asked about the things she wished she had known before starting a career at the Academy, Santos responded, “I believe I have grown from the challenges I have faced here and the opportunities I now have are the result of the growth I have experienced. Exeter is what you make of it.”

“I wish I had understood the culture here at PEA a bit better—it might have been helpful in those early days where I was struggling to fit into an environment that was very different from anything else I had experienced. It took some time to create lasting bonds here.”

Santos, who will be leaving the Academy after this year, reflected on the time she spent here: “I am grateful for the opportunity to have met so many wonderful students, to have made lifelong friends, friends who pulled me up and helped me find my voice,” she said.

“A loving family, meaningful work, and time to read in the sun, what more does one really need?” Santos concluded.