A story of overcoming to stimulate your week! Robson Vinícius de Amorim Silva, 18, was approved in the LaunchX program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and defrays expenses by selling truffles. The young man overcame problems with learning and became self-taught. Know his trajectory!
The resident of the city of Suzano was approved in the program monitored by entrepreneurs and specialists in the renowned American entity. At the end of the course, the objective is for students to assemble a startup ready to launch on the market.
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He dedicates the months of May and June to preparing the project's pre-work. In it, Robson will indicate his areas of interest to arrive at probable programs. According to him, mobile robotics and virtual reality are what attract him the most.
The vacation course plus stay costs R$ 6,295.00. In seven days, Robson had to translate the documentation to apply for the already obtained grant of 98.45% of the total amount. But in addition to the remaining USD 100, he had to pay for tickets and food.
Once again, the Sesi student was determined! Upon learning that the president of the institution would be in Suzano, Robson took the opportunity to take the acceptance letter, in addition to telling the family's financial situation. He ended up getting tickets through Social Service.
Now, the boy needs to raise R$ 3,000, until the departure date, to cover expenses related to food and documentation. To do this, he takes to the streets of the city on what he called a food bike, in addition to relying on the help of his mother and friends to get the money.
According to him, the mother “is going to give a little, the mothers of my friends are holding a raffle to give me part of the money and I should get the rest from the sale of truffles”. The boy estimates that he spends approximately USD 20 a day on food, in addition to passport, visa and document translation costs.
It is worth remembering that the sale of truffles is not unprecedented in Robson's life. In order to assemble robots and compete in the High School Mathematics Olympics, the boy suggested to a group of friends that they sell the candy in order to earn income. Together, they raised R$5,000 in six months.
With the money, young people bought batteries, sensors, 3D printing and systems needed for assembly. All the effort paid off. The group of four friends, including Robson, won the regional and state stages, in addition to finishing fifth in the national stage.
Acceptance at MIT represents more than a victory, but an overcoming in Robson's life. In childhood, the boy had learning problems, with difficulties in joining syllables and forming words. According to his mother, Ana Silvia Galvão Silva, he was turned down at some schools.
A teacher, Ana enrolled her son in a tutoring school, in addition to starting treatment with a psychopedagogue and a speech therapist. This one even remembers that Robson was literate in the office. When he was in the second grade, he got a scholarship at Sesi, but for that he would have to go back to the first year.
From then on, Robson's development was increasingly notable. The mother and the speech therapist realized that the boy had become self-taught when he made scientific comments. “I questioned where he was getting that information from and he said he read magazines online”, says Cristina Santana, a professional who accompanied him.
Passionate about robots, Robson always dreamed of graduating from North American universities. In the middle of last year, he made his first attempt by taking the tests at Stanford University in California. He ended up on the waiting list for failing to perform as expected.
The next process he participated in was MIT, going through description of extracurricular activities, investment simulations, school history, texts explaining your skills, videos and interviews in English. Language skill came through studying alone at home.
Finally, he was accepted, getting a facilitator on his graduation pass through the institute. To improve conversation, Robson enrolled in an online course. Classes are taught by an American professor, four times a week.
The final message that Robson leaves in the face of so many challenges? “Life is like a half-full glass, and every day it steals a drink from you. So, I have to think about the best I can do with it to get the best results, without forgetting where I am, what my reality is and where I want to go”.
What to wish him after all this? Best of luck on your new journey, Robson!
