Brazilian students come to campus for academic enrichment and fun.
Texas Tech K-12 is not only giving international students accessible academic opportunities at a distance, but it’s also bringing those same international students to campus to help facilitate American college opportunities.
More than 40 students plus four chaperones visited the Lubbock campus for a two-week camp in July. Historically, the second week of camp takes place at Texas Tech University’s Junction site for hands-on science and outdoor nature activities. This year, due to flooding in the area, the second portion of the camp was recreated on the Texas Tech campus.
Inviting the Brazilian high school students to the Texas Tech campus started with one particular Brazilian partner school in 2012. Diane Patrick, program manager for Texas Tech K-12, has coordinated each of the 11 camps since then - there were some years, for various reasons, when there wasn’t a camp. Over 15 years, 513 students and 56 coordinators have visited Lubbock.
The largest group came in 2014 when organizers had to have two camps back to back to accommodate all the student-visitors. The current Brazil partners have been engaged in the camps since 2018.
The four chaperones, administrators from Brazil partner organizations, included Lucas Fernandes, marketing and business development manager, and Beatriz Midori – international education consultant, both from Liberty Education; and Jenny Harris, high school coordinator at Bom Jesus and Elaine Nicolodeli, high school coordinator at Bom Jesus Santo Antônio, both of Colégio Bom Jesus.
During the first week, the students explored Texas Tech and delved into diverse programs like banking business at Jerry S. Rawls College of Business, kinesiology & sports management, an animal and food sciences class at Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, forensics and STEM courses at Reese Center, and presentations from the Honors College, Undergraduate Admissions and the College of Health & Human Sciences.
Leisure activities included a line dancing class at the Student Recreation Center and evening trips to Main Event and South Plains Mall as well as a movie night at the Student Union Building. The group enjoyed a celebratory banquet Friday, and the students each earned a completion certificate.
Fernandes said the summer camp is a truly remarkable experience for their students, giving them the opportunity to experience university life at Texas Tech firsthand, explore new areas of knowledge and open their minds to new possibilities for their academic and personal futures.
“Since they are part of the high school program offered by Texas Tech K-12, being on campus allows them to connect their classroom experience in Brazil with the university they are becoming part of,” Fernandes said. “It makes the program feel more real and meaningful and helps students see themselves as part of the Red Raider community.”
Fernandes says the visit is also an opportunity for many of the students to become more independent, confident and curious about their future.
Isabela Knysak Braga, a student from Colégio Arbos, said being part of the summer camp was one of the best experiences of her life.
“During those two weeks, I had the opportunity to understand what life on campus is like, while also learning different things and making friendships that will last a lifetime,” Isabela said, grinning. “The classes were very different from anything I had ever experienced, and I will definitely carry everything I learned for the rest of my life. In the end, being part of all of this was so much more than I could have asked for. The summer camp is a unique and unforgettable experience that you simply cannot miss.”
Rafaela Bonotto Pezzi, a student from Colégio Bom Jesus São José, couldn’t say enough good things about the two-week camp.
“I arrived with my best friends but left with five times as many friends,” Rafaela said, her eyes both sparkling and welling up. “Along the way, I got to meet people and professors from completely different backgrounds, experience a new culture and even learn to adapt to food very different from what I was used to. Somewhere between learning how to be a psychologist and making boats out of cardboard, I found a sense of peace that I will cherish forever.
“Those 14 days gave me memories, friendships and a feeling of belonging that I never expected to find so far from home. And in the end, the biggest lesson that I learned was that sometimes it doesn't take years to find your people; sometimes, in two weeks, you can find your family."