Brazilian student Thalles De Souza brings energy to Cape Cod Community College

On a Sunday morning in March 2016, Thalles De Souza woke up to the sounds of gunfire in his home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The police were raiding the house in search of his uncle. Narrowly escaping death, De Souza's mom decided to move to the United States, along with young Thalles and his sister, Lorena.

Seven years later, De Souza is a student at Cape Cod Community College and the president of its student government. He is the first Black African Brazilian to serve in that role.

After a long and difficult legal process, De Souza moved to Cape Cod in June 2016. He attended Barnstable High School for two years and then later transferred and graduated from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School.

While studying at Barnstable, De Souza got a job at McDonald’s, where he had the opportunity to practice and improve his English. De Souza speaks three languages now, Portuguese, English and Spanish.

Working and attending school was a grueling experience.

“I was working 40 hours a week and also going to high school. I used to go to work at McDonald's right after school, closing McDonald's at the end of my shift and then going to sleep at 2 a.m. and waking up at 6 again to go to school,” said De Souza. “I was trying to survive.”

His journey has been a tale of struggle, inspiration and hope.

“He's an incredibly charismatic student and when he smiles, it just lights up the room,” said Lisa Heller Boragine, professor of arts and communication at Cape Cod Community College and his academic adviser.

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“It's a real breath of fresh air to have somebody who is so positive and engaging. We’re definitely very lucky to have him as a student here,” she said.

De Souza, 25, who had previously served as vice president, was elected as the Student Government president in May.

“Coming from this background and all this trauma and for me to be a voice for all these students, being able to represent each one of them is a blessing,” he said.

De Souza graduated from Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School

De Souza had a solid grounding before he went to Cape Cod Community College.

Barnstable High has a good program for foreign bilingual students, which greatly helped him.

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“They have teachers who understand your language and also other students who speak your language to help you,” De Souza said.

At Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School, De Souza had a chance to hone his English skills further as he got more involved with the school community, helping out other bilingual students.

“Transferring to D-Y was life-changing for me,” said De Souza. His time at the school helped him grow more confident.

After graduation, he kept busy working as a manager for Wendy's for almost three years and worked briefly at Chick-fil-A.

Though De Souza was thriving in his school and community, there were moments of despair.

“Sometimes there’s a way people treat you knowing that you don't speak a lot of English,” he said. “Also people’s attitudes often changed as they saw me as a Black person. The challenge was not just communication, it was recognizing and accepting the fact that we are also part of the community and we have a voice too.”

Growing up in a different reality

De Souza grew up in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro. Looking back at his childhood, De Souza recalls the many times when he and his friends would be playing outside and have to rush inside when gunfire erupted on the streets.

“There were moments in those situations, where I saw myself about to die,” said De Souza. “That's a totally different experience, nothing like life in the United States.”

His mother, Mauriceia De Souza, moved to the United States in search of a better future and her children have that chance now.

Cape Cod has a growing population of Brazilian immigrants stretching back many years.

Michael Mecenas, founder and president of Health Ministry, a Cape Cod nonprofit that helps immigrants with learning English, health care and crisis intervention, says Thalles DeSouza's story is inspiring.

"People can look at Thalles and see that this is someone who came from Brazil as an immigrant, and he was able to put himself through college, finish high school, even get elected as the president of student government. It is a huge inspiration for other young immigrants moving here,” Mecenas said.

A land of opportunities, a place where dreams come true

“This is a place where dreams come true, America is a land of opportunities and there are always resources and people that are willing to help,” said Mecenas. “Youngsters should never give up in terms of career or whatever they want to do in life and thrive.”

“Immigrants have a different perspective than people who grew up here,” said De Souza. “Coming from a different background and different culture, immigrants and foreign students are most likely to become leaders as they experienced more hardship and struggle.”

According to academic adviser Boragine, foreign students' struggles are not limited to just academics.

“They also have to deal with economic challenges, some students are faring better than others and the most important thing is to help them connect with resources they need,” she said.

Future is looking bright for De Souza

De Souza is majoring in political science, with a minor in marketing and social media. He is also a founder of the first Jesus Club at the college. The club, according to the college website, brings together students to affect the entire campus through prayer, acts of service, testimonies and weekly gatherings that share the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone who attends.

“When I got involved with the student government, I became passionate about it and I realized, I want to get into politics,” said De Souza.

“I love working with people and my calling in life is having influence over places and people so I can make people's lives better,” he said.

Right now, De Souza's focus is getting a good GPA, building a resume and then applying to colleges in Massachusetts, to pursue his dream of becoming a politician.

As student government president, De Souza has several ideas.

Along with getting students at the college special discounts in restaurants, De Souza also aims to work on discounted tuition fees for students who can not afford it.

According to De Souza, one of his priorities as president is to help students who struggle with addiction.

“We plan to put a small emergency overdose kit on campus so that if anything ever happens to someone there’s a way to save their lives,” he said. “Potentially, it would be a very rare event but if it does happen I want the campus to be a place that can offer help."

De Souza attributes his success to God and his mother.

“If it weren’t for God, I wouldn’t have made it this far, he was the only one I turned to in desperate times and he saved me every step of the way,” De Souza said.

He says his mom, Mauriceia, is the source of his strength and the main contributor to his success.

“My mother worked so hard when we first came, we didn’t have a place to stay, we were kicked out of the hotel and she struggled so much,” De Souza said.

“Back then, we cried together and then during my high school graduation, we were happy together. She’s the one who cried with me and laughed with me during better days. I owe her.”

Rasheek Tabassum Mujib writes about healthcare and education. Reach her at rmujib@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Thalles DeSouza has overcome many obstacles in his journey to the US