I was raised in a household with a conservative parent who was constantly under substance abuse. When my father found out about my sexual orientation, he was drunk. He was always drunk. I remember hearing my father’s death threats from the other room, as I tried to explain to the police on the phone that he had a knife and was attempting to end my life and his own. It was January 17, 2015. I did not see my father for a whole year, while he was admitted into a rehabilitation clinic for drug and alcohol addicts. That year, I was diagnosed with panic syndrome, followed by social anxiety, depression, PTSD, borderline, and dissociative identity disorder. I was fifteen when I decided I was going to apply for colleges and universities outside of my home country, Brazil, in order to be as far away from him as possible. I grew up seeing myself as an abomination for loving someone of the same sex, even though, close to my heart, it felt as natural as the simple act of breathing. When I decided to free myself from all the toxicity I was used to, I started my Sociology studies at St. Francis College, in New York City, and volunteered at a rehabilitation center, where some professionals were conducting experiments on toxins and drugs to analyze how those chemical substances affect people’s mind and behavior. Unfortunately, my visits to the rehabilitation center were interrupted due to the Coronavirus outbreak. My mother could no longer afford my tuition and fees, after losing her job in the first months of the pandemic. I was sent home, back to Brazil. The American dream was over. With that, I had to face my father one more time. I felt tired and wanted to give up many times. He could not accept my sexuality and I decided distancing myself from him was the best I could do. It was time to start loving myself for who I was and loving whoever I wanted to. My involvement with the LGBTQ+ community started when I came out to my uncle Andre Pomba, a politician who works for the well-being and safety of every single individual. Pomba has been responsible for the Sao Paulo Annual Pride Parade for over five years. He then invited to participate in the assembly and disclosure of the event. After that, I decided to actively support Casa 1, a center that offers shelter, housing, food, water, and legal assistance for the community. Individuals who have been neglected by their families or are constantly facing problems at home, sometimes under threats and attacks from close people, are welcome and taken care of at Casa 1. I hope someday my family will be able to fully accept me. Until then, it is my duty as an LGBTQ+ community member and volunteer to raise awareness about intolerance and gender identity prejudice in our society, aiming to improve the quality of life of this portion of the population.

As a woman on the autism spectrum, diagnosed at age four with Asperger's, I recognize the importance of an organization that cares and engages in the training, empowerment, and inclusion of neurodivergent individuals in the workforce. Through quality volunteer work and available resources to aid people with mental disabilities, institutions like Luv Michael help communities and students like me every year, changing our lives in a significant and impactful way. Luv Michael could not be more perfect for me: an autistic teenager who cares about social, environmental, and economic sustainability, seeking organic and healthy food for my everyday life. Moreover, I'm celiac and allergic to nuts, but a granola lover - especially in my açai, typical cuisine where I come from, in Brazil. Lastly, volunteer work and social education are one of my great interests, as a Sociology student, with a concentration in Social Work. Therefore, being part of the Luv Michael team and meeting people with similar characteristics, through a socio-professional integration program, would be an immeasurable honor.

Unfortunately, not every neighborhood is a safe environment, especially in the favelas: low-income communities located on the outskirts of Brazil’s largest cities. Those places are often the most dangerous locations of the city, being ruled by criminals, drug traffickers, and rapists. At night, those neighborhoods face the highest rates of violence, theft, murder, burglary, and many other types of criminal activities; mostly because there is no electrical wiring available due to its exorbitant cost. Thinking about that, I have decided to develop a project in order to decrease the violence rate, by producing an inexpensive power supply. The idea for the research started with a Business Insider’s article about how to properly dispose car batteries that are still in good or fair conditions. Considering basic physical properties, there are four elements of a regular Lithium-ion battery that can be recycled. As long as the lead terminals, the internal plates, and the electrolytes were functioning, it would be possible to reconstruct the container to produce electrical energy. Therefore, the project consisted in the development of a mobile light pole made of old car batteries' prototype, that soon became the mold to over 180 lampposts distributed around the favelas of Sao Paulo. As a result of this project, communities were able to reduce in 70% the amount of garbage thrown in streets, rivers, and properties. Furthermore, a study shows that there were 75% less crimes after the mobile light poles' placement. The amount of hours spent and dedication invested in this project taught me vital notions of organization, responsibility, time management, and empathy. I was able to step outside of my own comfort zone and face the different realities of the communities around me. I also learned the importance of raising awareness and making resources useful to aid those who are in unprivileged positions. The access to electrical wiring in the favelas allowed a reconfiguration of the socio-political sphere: once these neighborhoods have an accessible power supply, the regularization transforms the relations between the population, the state and the market, contributing to the urban integration of the communities. I will pursue higher education and keep studying STEM in order to continue the equal distribution of goods and resources among all individuals, valuing the Sustainable Development Goals and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, through science and research. I will undergraduate in Sociology with a concentration in Social Work and a minor in Public Health, as I plan on working with children in unprivileged conditions and low-income families. My main goal is to provide access to universal healthcare, basic sanitation, and potable water, as well as facilitate quality education, gender and racial equity and promote the well-being of individuals all around the world.