Marcia's Community

April 1, 2026

This week, we talked with Marcia Soares, operations specialist in Learning & Organization Development, about her role, her favorite staff engagement survey question, community and how she juggles three languages under one roof.

I'm a big believer in community. My motto is 'bridging the gap, one community at a time' because I feel it is so important. I was born and raised in Brazil. I came to this country when I was 15. My mom and I came with a suitcase. I didn't know the language. I didn't know anybody. For me, it was the community that really embraced me and made me feel at home.
Marcia Soares
Operations Specialist, Learning & Organization Development

Marcia's Community

Tell us about your role.

I manage UCSF’s engagement ambassador program and support Learning & Organization Development's operational and administrative needs, such as account administration, budget management, and leadership support. When I started the role leading the engagement ambassador program, it was more logistics-focused. I saw an opportunity to strengthen the community aspect of our engagement work. Having a professional development opportunity to go beyond the ambassador lens has been great because I'm learning so much about myself.

I recently took a tour of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and seeing the babies was deeply inspiring for me. It reminded me that even though my work happens behind the scenes, it plays an important role in empowering nurses and staff to do what they do best. Through them, I’m able to have an impact on families. That experience reinforced how interconnected everything is, and how meaningful it is to know that my work truly makes a difference.

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‌What is your favorite Gallup survey question?

Question 10: I have a best friend at work.

I know some people don’t understand this question. I would like people to think about it beyond the words and ask: Is there someone at work I can trust or who will have my back? Maybe it’s someone you can vent to, or maybe it's someone who always turns on the camera to ask you how you're doing in a meeting. Whatever it means to you.

Marcia Soares, husband, son and daughter, outside with water in the background

You often talk about building community. Why is that important?

I'm a big believer in community. My motto is “bridging the gap, one community at a time,” because I feel it is so important.‌

I was born and raised in Brazil. I came to this country when I was 15. My mom and I came with a suitcase. I didn't know the language. I didn't know anybody. For me, it was the community that really embraced me and made me feel at home. That’s the kind of community I want to build here at UCSF. Having that human component at work is very important.

‌What's it like speaking three languages in your household?

When I moved here from Brazil where we speak Portuguese, all I knew was the verb “to be” in English. It was easier to understand Spanish. Then I met my husband who speaks Spanish. I think that we found support in one another. I love how I found community within the Latino and Mexican community because there weren't that many Brazilians. At home with our kids, it’s a mix.

There’s one word from home I can’t find the equivalent to in English, and I bet most Brazilians would say this too, it's the word saudade, which is the meaning of missing somebody. It’s nostalgic. It’s a feeling of something that is no longer there. It’s one of those words that doesn’t have a perfect one-word translation in English, so it’s usually explained rather than translated. Here’s what I found: “Saudade is a deep emotional longing for someone or something you miss, with a mix of love, nostalgia, and a little sadness.”