Michaelis Foundation guides young people towards the dream of studying abroad

Through bilingual education, students are inspired to learn English and engage in college programs all around the world

(Gabriel da Silva as a Minerva Schools college student)

Pernambucano (what you call someone who was born in PE, Brazil) and passionate about administration. In 2019, Gabriel da Silva left his hometown to study at Minerva Schools in California. The realization of his dream was only possible thanks to the grant provided by BRASA.

Participating in a selection process is never easy. For the student, the biggest difficulty "is the 'impostor syndrome', where you ask yourself: Do I really deserve all of this?". The young man pointed out that the difference in the BRASA process was exactly the fact that the interviewees did not make him question his potential.

 “For me, being chosen was confirmation that BRASA believes in my potential to not only have had the opportunity to go further than the people in my community had, but to bring it back and create greater opportunities for other people.”

Upon returning to Brazil, Gabriel brought with him a purpose: “I really wanted people to have this opportunity that I had to get to know other cultures and to know that it is possible to study abroad”. It was then that he started teaching English classes in his community, with affordable prices for everyone. "I believe that English opens a lot of doors that we can't even imagine," he pointed out.

It was with this same objective of changing the world through bilingual education that The Michaelis Foundation, BRASA and Melhoramentos publishing company teamed up. Together, the organizations will donate 170 Michaelis dictionaries to 20 educational institutions, in addition to promoting the BRASA initiative that grants financial aids for college students to study abroad. "We want to show this new generation that dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them," said the foundation's director, Jefferson Michaelis.

To become a BRASA fellow, visit: https://www.bolsas.gobrasa.org/

- Luma Keily
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MFGE International Correspondent (http://www.michaelisfoundation.org/)