A Journey of Belonging

When Flavia Ziarnik looks back on the moment she moved from Brazil to the United States, she remembers exactly what she brought with her: three suitcases, a lot of determination, and the hope that a new opportunity would be worth the life she was leaving behind. 

“At 30, I packed my life into three suitcases and moved to another country,” she said. “If I ever think I can’t do anything, I will reflect back on that moment.”

Originally from São Paulo, Brazil, Flavia began her career in chemistry and chemical engineering before discovering that her talkative personality was better suited for sourcing rather than a science lab. After roles with Avon, Boehringer Ingelheim, and BASF, she was recruited by Kohler to help build a sourcing organization in Brazil. Because her role reported into the United States, she began traveling to Wisconsin regularly, and eventually, that professional opportunity became a permanent move.

Today, Flavia works in sourcing and procurement at Sargento, helping teams identify vendors, run requests for proposals, negotiate contracts, and make thoughtful business decisions before projects are handed off for execution. She joined Sargento in November and has quickly felt the difference of being part of a company with a strong family feel.

“Sargento made me feel equal because of everything I overcame, not less,” Flavia said.

That sense of belonging is especially meaningful because Flavia’s path to citizenship has required patience, persistence, and plenty of paperwork. After first coming to the U.S. on a work visa, she later received a green card. While she could have continued renewing it, citizenship offered something more lasting and a way to stop having to repeatedly prove the life she had built here.

“I have never been in this country, for a second, illegally,” she said. “I was eligible for citizenship, and I thought, I don’t want to keep going through this renewal process forever.”

The naturalization process included reading and writing tests in English, along with a verbal civics test covering U.S. history, government, holidays, the national anthem, and more. Flavia studied extensively and even turned preparation into family trivia at the dinner table with her stepdaughters.

“I started asking people around me the questions, and because I had studied, I knew more than some of the Americans,” she said with a laugh. “Now I understand a little bit better about the administration, the difference between Congress and the Cabinet, and the branches of government.” 

For Flavia, becoming a citizen does not replace her Brazilian identity. She still listens to Brazilian radio, speaks Portuguese with her daughter, makes delicious Brazilian foods, and keeps traditions alive however she can. She also knows that building a life in another country comes with sacrifice.

“Being an immigrant, you are always going through life from afar,” she said. “I miss weddings and births and things that if I were still in Brazil, I would be attending.”

Still, the United States has held a special pace in Flavia’s heart since she was young. As a teenager in Brazil, she dreamed of visiting Disney World after seeing someone return from a trip with a giant Minnie Mouse. At 18, she saved enough money from her first job, paid for her own trip in installments, and traveled to Disney by herself. Her first purchase was the biggest Minnie Mouse she could afford.

On July 15, Flavia officially became a U.S. citizen, marking a deeply personal milestone at a historic moment for the country she now calls home. As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Flavia is reflecting not only on the meaning of citizenship, but on the path that brought her from São Paulo to Wisconsin — from a career opportunity to a new life, and from wondering whether she belonged here to feeling embraced by the Sargento Family.

“I had to remind myself, ‘I deserve to be here. I have something to contribute,'" she said. “And now, I truly feel like I’m part of something.”