Meaningful Marketing: Get To Know Empire State University’s Brenda Manra

(MANHATTAN, NY — March 11, 2025) In July of last year, Brenda Manra joined Empire State University as a marketing copywriter and content creator. With her attunement to the interests and perspectives of Spanish-speaking communities in New York state, Manra was involved in shaping early promotional materials for the announcement of Empire State University’s new Spanish language Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree. Recently, she has transitioned into being an enrollment communications manager for marketing, serving Empire State University in a recruitment-oriented capacity.

Manra’s childhood unfolded in Orange County in Santa Ana, California, where most neighboring families were also Latino. Because her parents migrated from Mexico to the United States when they were young, she is a second-generation Mexican American. Her upbringing was highly intertwined with her community and culture. “I feel that I’ve really taken that with me,” she says.

Manra’s parents only spoke Spanish at the beginning of their time in the United States—it became her first language until she learned English as a kindergartener at the age of five. “It was interesting, because at the time, California had dual language immersion at school,” she explains—students who only knew Spanish could take classes in both English and Spanish, helping them learn the formal foundations of each. “It was a smooth transition,” Manra comments about her first brushes with bilingualism, crediting her schooling in both languages. Since then, the state of California has gone back and forth on the topic of Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs, which are currently active.

Though Manra’s knowledge of Spanish first stemmed from being a heritage speaker—meaning that she picked up Spanish at home—she has integrated a formal Spanish education throughout her childhood and high school years. She does not consider herself entirely a heritage speaker, but does underscore the distinct kind of Spanish that she speaks, a kind of ‘American Spanish’ that lends itself to bilingualism.

“I think it’s funny when we talk about language, because my parents are immigrants… they didn’t have much schooling in Mexico. They came here very young; their Spanish is different than other people’s Spanish. And now, my Spanish is different than other people’s Spanish,” Manra shares.

The use of the dialect informally known as “Spanglish” has been predominantly popularized by the children of immigrants in the United States, though it is now widely used by bilingual speakers around the world. Manra’s experience as a Latina who grew up in the United States shaped her use of language—bilingualism is an inherent part of her worldview and communication.

“It’s such a different culture within its own right for all of us kids that are second generation and grew up here,” Manra comments, speaking to the vastness of diversity held by the labels “Latino”, “Hispanic”, and “Bilingual.” For Manra, as for many others, language use is molded by context. As for languages themselves, the variety of life experiences among each group of speakers generates a wealth of dialects. According to Language Testing International, linguistic experts recognize between seven and eleven dialects in the Spanish language alone.

The “best of both worlds” angle that bilingualism provides Manra is a key tool in identifying marketing materials that will be relatable to Latino and Hispanic audiences, among others. “I’ve enjoyed being able to think about what resonates with our culture—with bilingual speakers—when coming up with marketing content. With ads, what kinds of colors does our community tend to like more?” she explains.

Looking ahead, many are wondering what the future holds for bilingual learning opportunities at Empire State University. Manra shares, “I would love to see [bilingual course offerings] expand, and to see that there is an appreciation for the nuance in the Latino community.” She muses about the possibility of individual courses being offered in a bilingual format so native and non-native Spanish-speaking students are empowered to use their Spanish skills.

To those looking for a sign to take a leap and learn a second language, Manra says, “It opens up your world—there’s so much out there to learn and see. Double the music. Double the books. Double the TV shows. Double the movies. Double the social media—my timeline goes English, Spanish, English, Spanish… I love being immersed in that culture. I think language and culture go hand in hand.”

When Manra moved to Ithaca, New York, as an undergraduate student, she shared a taxicab from the airport to Cornell’s campus with another student and his mother. At some point in their drive, the mother asked Manra if she was Latina, sparking instant connection and kinship. That mother’s relief of knowing her son would be able to relate to someone on campus speaks volumes about the unifying power of culture. “The look in a person’s eye—they brighten up. Language is so powerful in helping someone feel comfortable.”