Oi,
Thainá here!
I'm an activist and young leader from São Paulo, Brazil. I believe voices have power, and what I value most in life is being able to express my truth. Creating from scratch, writing other peoples' stories, leading, facilitating, and connection with communities brings me inner peace.
This is who I am, a person known for having a "go get it energy" and smiling throughout life.
My journey
I am one of the few women who survived domestic violence and have a platform to tell their stories. As a result, I am a passionate advocate about women’s rights and children’s rights.
With a strong love for education, I did not let my family’s income or violence hold me back, and at nine years old I taught myself English by watching YouTube videos.
After leaving domestic violence and losing my father, a professor who saw my efforts helped me get a scholarship to the best private high school in my city.
At 15-16 I was the youngest sales mentor at Fundação Estudar and coordinated with a team of 10 students the biggest opportunity platform in Brazil.
It was in those early teenage years that I explored social change, being a participant in the Latin American Leadership Academy and gathering as many mentors as I could.
Thainá (Thai) is a 20 year old activist from Brazil. She is the founder of Sem Medo, a sex education organization. Thai uses her skills in policy making, initiative development, community building and creativity to engage in positive change — having reached over 130,000 people all around the globe.
Thai is an undergraduate student at Grinnell College double majoring in Political Science and Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies. She has been recognized as one of the young leaders of the WOW Foundation, as a Diverse Voice by The New York Times and as a next generation foresight practitioner by the Young Voices Award. Additionally, Thai was on the pioneering cohort for the Take Action Lab (by Global Citizen Year) program in Capetown, South Africa, working in two townships, Retreat and Gugulethu.
Whenever she is not at Burling Library, she spends her time volunteering at organizations such as the Brazilian Student Association and being a guide for young activists at the Civics Unplugged Fellowship. In the past, she has worked in organizations such as Força Meninas, a company working to advance girls aged 6 to 21 years old in Brazil.
When it comes to public speaking, Thai is not afraid of making a pitch, having won funding by MIT SolvED and the Civics 2030 Agenda. She has also given talks to organizations such as Singularity University, Teach The Future, BRASA Pré, and others.
My future
- After college, my next dream is to be a Rhodes Scholar and have a masters in Latin American Studies.
- When it comes to my career, I see myself running for congress and later for senate to continue to advocate for women's and people with disabilities’ rights. I aspire to be the first senator with ASD in my country.
Some of my experiences include:
Founder and director
I have been lucky enough to involve myself with +20 organizations in the past 5 years. Here are some of the places where I left a piece of me!
International programs
Brazilian activism
third-sector including engajamundo and fundação estudar
Summer experiences
Foreign affairs
Recent projects
In Grinnell’s Student Government, I have been working in the Academics department. My main projects have included so far the Student Educational Policy Committees and working on campus traditions.
As a final project for my Gender, Women’s and Sexuality course I expanded on one of the chapters and updated it to the 2023 context.
During my final month of summer break, I developed a telegram chatbot that helps youth and their parents understand the basics of sex education.
In 2023, on behalf of Força Meninas, I organized a mentorship with the online platform Hotmart. There were more than 20 projects led by girls up to 21 years old, connected with expert volunteers. Totaling more than 60 hours of knowledge.
What I Can Do for You
Community Building
For the past 3 years I have created connections, bridged divides, and cultivated a sense of belonging among diverse groups.
Writing, Talks, Storytelling
I love to captivate narratives, shed light on untold stories, and inspire with them.
Initiative Development
Having participated in so many organizations since the age of 14, I have developed the ability to create programs and projects with ease.
Latest publications
See all the wonderful 2023 young leaders!
Hear about my routine on malala's magazine!
hear about one of my latest works in brazil!
Testimonials
Sara Surani,
Mentor
You are so confident in yourself in a way that makes me feel so fuzzy and proud of you. I can't help but think "wow, I wish I had a mentor like Thainá when I was 17 years old!" You really are special and loving in a way that makes others more empowered to be themselves. You are a fighter, a warrior, una guerrera.
Erika Frike,
Past-Supervisor
Sharing the professional day-to-day with Thaina is great, because she thinks outside the box, she is super smart, kind, attentive and helpful. I believe that being helpful is her main value, it's something she does spontaneously. Thank you for adding to my journey, Thai!
Aline Brito,
Close Friend
I know her since 2019. I know her heart, her aspirations, and her motivations. Knowing this much about her, I can tell you that she will be a role model for others, just like she is for me. She represents how far this generation can go to change the world, and she will be an essential name for the future.
