I chose community college to save money. Now Yale is giving me a full ride.
Thalles de Souza shares his journey from growing up amidst gang violence in Rio de Janeiro to securing a full-ride scholarship at Yale University. His story highlights the role of community college as a strategic pathway to elite higher education.
Why it matters
The narrative underscores the importance of educational accessibility and the potential for upward mobility through non-traditional academic routes.
Thalles de Souza moved from Brazil to the US as a child and was just accepted to Yale. Courtesy of Thalles de Souza Thalles de Souza grew up surrounded by shootings and gang violence in Rio de Janeiro. His single mother secretly saved money to move her children to the US. After attending community college, he was accepted to Yale with a full-ride scholarship. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Thalles de Souza. It has been edited for length and clarity. In March 2016, on a Sunday morning, police entered my house, shouting and shooting. At only 13, I woke up screaming, not sure of what was happening. When I walked into the kitchen, I was nearly shot. Turns out, the police were looking for a family member of ours.
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