For the second year in a row, the St. Paul’s Foundation Scholarship Programme has carried on the partnership with Harvard MLAB – a programme aimed at low-income youth that connects them with Harvard students.
This past January, two of our scholars had the chance to participate in this initiative and they tell us more about their experiences below.
What is the programme?
Since 2012, the Mentoring and Language Acquisition Program in Brazil (MLAB), led by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University, has offered one-on-one mentoring that helps young low-income Brazilians develop confidence, critical thinking and English language skills.
The programme provides an enriching opportunity for young people to learn from older peers, express common interests and exchange experiences. This year, the St. Paul’s Foundation managed to connect two of our foundation scholars – Gustavo and Manoela – to participate in the programme.
At MLAB, students have individual virtual meetings with their mentors, plus a period of face-to-face meetings in São Paulo. The programme includes a three-day retreat for the entire group to interact in the countryside of São Paulo, close to nature, and participate in cultural activities.
The experience
For Gustavo, our current Form 4 scholar, the MLAB Experience was the most enriching project he has been engaged yet. “During this short period, I have made friends that I hope to keep for life and received massive amounts of advice from the mentors about life in college, the application process etc. Mentors shared life stories to us, the mentees shared the Brazilian culture and as a result, I became best friends with twenty or so people in only 10 days!”
Manoela, who’s also a scholar in Form 4, shared that the MLAB programme made her realise she can dream big! “Me and my mentor we were so much alike, and not only I found a mentor but also a friend for life, with her and all of the other mentors and mentees. They all shared their stories of life, their backgrounds and how did they got into Harvard, which helped me to understand that my dreams are possible to happen. In addition to that, I learned so much about other cultures and experienced many joyful moments”.
The continued partnership between the St. Paul’s Foundation Scholarship Programme and Harvard MLAB highlights our commitment to providing scholars with transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom. Opportunities like this allow our students to develop essential life skills, build global connections, and broaden their horizons.
We are incredibly proud of Gustavo and Manoela for embracing this opportunity and representing our Foundation so well — and we look forward to seeing more scholars benefit from this enriching programme in the years to come.