Sasakawa International Scholarship

I am Thais De Moraes and hail from São Paulo, Brazil. I came to Gallaudet in 2008 and now major in Digital Media with a minor in Computer Information Systems. I plan to graduate in May of 2012. My short-term goals are to accumulate several internship experiences that I believe will benefit me in my future profession. My long-term goal is to build my professional skill and continue to seek knowledge about different things in the world.

The ELI program has been a milestone in helping me reach those goals because the program helped me to improve my English skills. Before the program, I knew English but struggled with understanding much of the vocabulary and grammatical structure. The ELI taught me writing, grammar, reading, vocabulary, essays, and much more. All these courses contributed to increasing my knowledge of English and made me feel more confident of my future. I know that I can better achieve my dreams because I now know much more than I did before.

My dream job is to do a lot of editing and making movies with animation, photography, special effects, and 3D- Graphic computer technology. I love movies and am fascinated by the effects used in movies that make them more thrilling. At first, I thought I preferred to work for any company to gain experience, but now I KNOW I want to work with Universal Studios, Pixar Studios, Dreamworks, ILM and/or Paramount Pictures. It has been my dream since I was eleven years old.

In addition to getting a job as a film maker, I also want to help the global deaf community in Brazil. I hope to start a program that will improve communication systems for deaf people as well as help increase job and education opportunities for them.

The Sasakawa Scholarship has been a blessing for me in many ways. It is because of this scholarship that I am able to study at this university and increase my knowledge on various subjects. Now I am able to discuss different ideas, exchange perspectives, and experience different opportunities. I just want to say "Thank You" for the Sasakawa Scholarship for making this all possible.
My Sasakawa Scholarship project was to create the WDIRP website and edit the CIPS website layout, color format, text, and other things as well. The goal was to make the information more user-friendly and easier for deaf people and students to access and use.