I graduated from The British School in 2001. From there I went to Baltimore, Maryland – USA, to study Biology/ Pre-Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. By my second year I decided to change my “Major” from Biology to Economics, and the University of Maryland was a better institution for that. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Maryland in January of 2006, then went back to Brazil for a year to work. In December, I applied to Graduate Studies programs in 9 universities across the United States. My first choice was Berkeley, which I unfortunately was not accepted for, but a few weeks ago I received a letter offering me a Fellowship for my second choice, Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois, about 30 minutes away from Chicago. The PhD I will pursue is in Political Science, or more specifically, in International Relations. University rankings vary a lot, but Northwestern usually ranks in the Top20, but the Department, especially in International Relations, is evaluated as a top 5 program. Since I don’t have a Master’s degree yet, it should take 5 to 6 years to complete both. The Fellowship they offer is of 20 thousand dollars of stipend for 9 months out of each year, with additional funds available if I choose to stay for the Summer. The Fellowship package also pays for all my tuition and fees costs, as well as medical insurance. During my first year I don’t have to do anything to maintain the offer (apart from keeping a B average), but in the 2-4th years I have to be a Teaching Assistant and teach 10-20 hours a week. This isn’t such a heavy burden either, considering that it will be very helpful if I decide to follow a Tenure track academic career and teach for a living after I complete the PhD. Classes start on the 17th of September. While I am very much looking forward to them, I can’t help but be scared of the weather. Everyone I talk to speaks highly of Chicago and Northwestern, but they all warn me of how cold and bleak the city can get during the longish cold season. I guess Chicago isn’t as pleasant as Berkeley as far as weather goes, but I heard that it makes up for it in matters of Culture and Entertainment, so the solution is to buy myself a heavy jacket and “suck it up”. Eduardo Nunes’94 Although I left The British School just before taking the IGCSE’s, in 1992, to move to the United States, I have always considered myself an honorary member of the alumni club – so much so, that my classmate Adriana Nogueira de Andrade’94 has validated my presumption by inviting me to submit an update on my life for the Falcon (alongside my brother Pedro’s update.) So, here goes: After moving to the United States, I went to a public high school just outside of Washington, DC, that offered the I.B. curriculum. So, I was spared the cruel fate of not obtaining the baccalaureate. I graduated with a degree in English literature from a small liberal arts school in Wooster, OH named (surprisingly) the College of Wooster. After college, I moved back to the Washington, DC region. For the past several years, I have been working as the Director of Standards and International Affairs at the American Association of Blood Banks. It’s not exactly the same as writing about James Joyce, but sometimes the level of linguistic complexity is comparable. A few years ago, we obtained funding via the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to do HIV-relief work in Africa, and I have had the opportunity to travel to Mozambique and Rwanda to work on standards-setting projects. In addition, work has taken me to Mexico, England, Spain, the Netherlands, and of course, Brazil, as I had the opportunity to speak at a conference sponsored by the Hemocentro of Ribeirão Preto. Last April, I got married to my long-time girlfriend, Sasha Sutherland. We live happily, with our two cats, in the Adams Morgan neighbourhood of Washington DC (practically next door to a Brazilian restaurant called “The Grill from Ipanema” and I am not making that name up!) As soon as we figure out how to fit all of the wedding presents into our apartment, we’ll probably have to figure out what to do with the rest of our lives, I guess…
