FGCU’s chapter of the Brazilian Student Association (BRASA) was established this semester and has been working to build a sense of community amongst Brazilian students on campus.
BRASA chapter president Sara Teoro, a junior from São Paulo, Brazil, was inspired to establish the organization after noticing the large population of Brazilian students on campus.
“I transferred here last year. I found out that there were a lot of Brazilians here, and that Brazil is the number one nation here,” Teoro said. “I wanted to do something for the Brazilians to stay together, and to welcome all the Brazilians, I reached out to the global BRASA last year to bring BRASA here.”
The Association recently had their first event, Welcome to BRASA, on March 14. The event was hosted at the Waterfront, and had good attendance.
“We were expecting only 60 people, and we had 130. I think it was a big success. We provide free food, we try to do Brazilian food, like açai, because we all like that,” Teoro said. “We’re gonna prepare better, and we’re gonna have crepês and açai. It’s gonna be in a different place, so we all can play. Yeah, we’re gonna host that in Groves Point. We’re gonna meet there like everyone’s gonna meet there to play something like footvolley or volleyball, I’m not sure yet, but we hope it’s gonna be the same success.”
BRASA’s main focus is to provide Brazilian students with a support system in college. Whether it’s help on homework or just wanting to make new friends, they are there to support their fellow students.
“[It] doesn’t matter if you are [an] international student, or your parents are Brazilian [and] you’re born here, just to promote this interaction,” BRASA treasurer Pedro Chiaccio, a junior from Campinas, Brazil, said. “We also work a lot with the Global Engagement Office to help other international students feel welcome because even though maybe they’re not Brazilians or they are from a different culture, we’re experiencing the same thing.”
Because the FGCU chapter of BRASA just started this semester, they are seeking to grow the club and its student engagement. As an international organization, BRASA offers many opportunities for students to network with other BRASA members from around the world.
BRASA will be hosting its next event on April 25 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Groves Point in North Lake Village.
Students who are interested in being involved with BRASA can reach out to them via their Instagram (@brasafgcu) and attend their events. Board members meet every Sunday and events can be found on their EagleLink.
“Come and join it and try,” Chiaccio said. “We are really excited, and we do have a lot of plans, so we are busy with our stuff, because we really want to do a lot of things. We want everybody there. And BRASA is, it’s the whole, it’s everybody attending the event, everybody looking to know the Brazilian culture and interact with other Brazilians.”
