Brazilian classmates stick together in U.S.

Two students, Joao Lopes and Joao Mallmann, have more than just their first name in common. They have studied together in Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil; Davenport, Iowa; and Waverly, Iowa.

Lopes and Mallmann grew up together and have maintained their camaraderie no matter where in the world they happen to be.

The two spent a month in Davenport last year, part of a program between their high school in Brazil and Davenport Central High School. Along with 11 other Brazilian students, they attended classes at the high school and learned about American culture and life in Iowa.

During their time in Davenport, they had the chance to travel to Waverly to visit Wartburg.

The welcoming feeling they felt on campus lingered in their minds, they said, as their time in Iowa came to an end and they returned to Brazil to finish high school.

That visit to Wartburg led both of them to seriously consider getting an American education.

“I never thought that we would be going to college together until last year when we visited Wartburg.

After that moment, I knew that it was a possibility,” Lopes said.

After thinking it through, they decided they did not want to stay in Brazil for school.

“I thought about the people that I met the last time I was here and about the experiences that I had, and that helped me decide to come back and study at Wartburg,” Lopes said.

They both said they are grateful Wartburg gives them the opportunity to be liberal learners. If they had attended a school in Brazil, they would have studied only one narrow subject.

“I enjoy getting a liberal education because this way I can learn about several things and have more opinions,” Lopes said. “I can also explore things that I’m curious about at the same time I take my major classes.”

He said the quality of education in the United States is better than Brazil and Wartburg gives him access to more technology than he would have been exposed to in Brazil.

Lopes is studying biology and hopes to work in a technology field after graduation. He is not sure if he will pursue a career in Brazil or another country.

Mallmann is majoring in business and is considering working for John Deere, a company that he could work for in the United States or in his hometown.

“I chose to go to school in the United States because the curriculum you study here is amazing,” Mallmann said. “I will have an excellent chance to get a really good job in Brazil.”

Lopes said he misses his family, but is happy to be away from the crime in Brazil.

Mallmann agreed he is happy to be removed from some of the conflicts in his country.

“I feel comfortable being a international student here, because I feel that all the people are interested in learning about my country and me,” Mallmann said.