“When I tell people I’m Brazilian, they look at me with disbelief. How can someone look Asian and be from Brazil at the same time? But I am. I just happen to have Japanese blood. I’ve been told that I smile all the time, although I’m not always aware of it. Probably because I was really shy before. Maybe I’d put on a happy façade to hide my insecurities. I had lots of them. Like I used to care about whether people liked me or not. Now I care more about how I can contribute to others. So I feel like I’ve grown up a bit. I’m still in university but I want to make a difference in people’s lives through education. I think it gives people better opportunities and motivates you to go after your dreams. My father was the one who inspired me to do this. He used to have video rental stores and he would organize movie screenings for orphans.”