What is your favorite travel memory?
It was my last day in Chile. I was in Santiago, in front of the municipal market. The sun was setting and the whole scenario was beautifully orange. Many people passing by and, in between, there was a couple with their child, asking for money.
The child was a little girl and she was sitting on a wheelchair with some kind of disease that made her skin look like it was burnt. Her whole body looked like it was intensively burnt. I don’t know what disease it was, but truth be said: it wasn’t pretty. It was shocking.
Suddenly another little girl came closer. She had no disease and she was so happy and pure. She started to play with the girl on the wheelchair. Purely. Clapping hands, laughing together.
And there I was on my last day of a one-month amazing backpacking trip, gratefully crying in the middle of the street, proving out that we, humans, are born with a beautiful potential.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
Every day when I go to the office, I meet with people that inspire me to grow. Four major things that I have already learned here at Intern Brazil are:
- A better team starts with a better me.
- Each individual has its own preferences and this must be respected. If I want to help, firstly I need to listen.
- There will always be challenges and they are great opportunities to grow. Cheer up when seeing one!
- A big job is made of many small actions. Celebrate each and every step ahead!
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
This is a tough one. Two major comments that make me deeply grateful for my job were hearing "you guys are a family to me", and "I have just had the best experience in my life because of you".
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
Our programs are tailor made so I would do an internship at a very entrepreneurial startup in Curitiba for 3 months and then spend a month traveling around Brazil, in places such as Florianópolis and the beaches surrounding it, Rio, São Paulo state, Salvador, and maybe the Amazon.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
We are a group of people that love what we do and, more than that, we love working together and to improve. I'm proud that we can extend our embracing and inspiring environment to each participant and treat each one as an individual, with unique preferences, needs and skills.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
We still have a lot to do in order to obtain the success we aim for, but all the happiness and achievements we have already had has a simple and invaluable factor: the people that work here at Intern Brazil.