What a time in Brazil it has been! One month ago, I was dreaming of coming to Brazil and spending time among communities and locals learning cultures, teamwork, leadership, and how far hard work can go. I think it's safe to say that I have experienced more than that here in São Paulo!
My time with CET Academic Programs has been truly inspiring to me, and I will cherish this experience for the rest of my life. With the help of Luis Pedroso and Emile Ribeiro, I truly got a feel of what it's like to volunteer abroad productively and thoughtfully. While with CET, we set aside time to go to lower-income communities with the sole goal of helping the non-profit's mission. We worked with GoodTruck, which focused on helping families struggling to put food on the table with the necessary resources to provide food for their families. When working with GoodTruck, we bagged 100 bags of fruits and vegetables to be given to these families. We worked with CCA Quadrangular, which focused on helping children in need to have a place to learn, play, and be kids without the threat of real-world struggles. Working with CCA, we moved 281 boxes of food provided by the city to a more productive area for access to these resources, supported their effort of serving the local community, and contributed to the improvement of their facilities by cleaning, washing, and painting a concrete gravel floor to enhance safety for children who use the space. Being with CET has been truly eye-opening, and I thank them for the opportunity to work with them on issues that are rooted in São Paulo and the country.
Additionally, I had the amazing opportunity to work with Casa Sueli Carneiro, a nonprofit organization, in the heart of São Paulo! My time there was all about being active in their community and their mission of the preservation and promotion of racial justice and rights for the Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian communities. Throughout my exchange with them, I conducted research and wrote public policy archives that analyzed U.S. reparations and memorial initiatives for African American and Indigenous Communities. I assisted in organizing the archival materials at Casa Sueli Carneiro, which directly made an advance to the preservation of Black intellect and activism in Brazil. I personally contributed to productive discussions on how to stand out and be heard directly by politicians and governmental organizations. The organization's mission is with me, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to help them on their journey!
Finally, I want to thank the University of Michigan's Center for Global and Intercultural Study for working with such an amazing organization and allowing me to come on this trip on a full-ride. It has been an experience of a lifetime, and I will always look back on my time here with happiness and gratefulness!
This post has been republished from LinkedIn with the permission of Caleb.
