Rafael

Rafael, from the outskirts of Aracaju (Sergipe), discovered early on that resilience and empathy could be powerful tools for change. Raised by his mother in a context of financial hardship, he initially pursued Medicine as a way to help others —  but after participating in UN simulations, he realized that structural transformation, not individual care, was his true calling.

Shifting to Political Science, Rafael became a prominent youth leader, serving as Student Spokesperson at Instituto Natura, where he helped mobilize R$ 40 million for education and trained over 500 young leaders. He also created Caravana Cidadã (Citizen Caravan), which impacted 8,000 students through political engagement workshops. 

Committed to empowering youth from underservedcommunities, Rafael now dreams of studying at Harvard to prepare for a political career focused on institutionalizing youth participation. For him, Ashoka represents the global movement of changemakers he already feels part of — building the change, not waiting for it.