Many revolutions in history started in an unexpected way. Young people often find themselves at the centre. I cannot hide the fact that, like many immersed in the problems of the mega-cities of our countries, I also found myself asking: “When will this change?” I discussed this with some friends; I studied the paths taken by the great protagonists of history; I asked myself many questions.

When I started working as a journalist at the headquarters of ANSA in São Paolo, I never missed the opportunity to illustrate in my articles the signs of the times, seeking the truth. I had great aspirations. Yet as I gained experience, I felt that idealism was not enough.

I was faced with the demands of a complex world which required expertise and experience I didn’t yet have. Furthermore crisis situations were rampant in our interdependent societies, together with financial and work-related problems, internal conflicts, obsolete institutional mechanisms as well as other scenarios I was unable to decipher.

The offer to enrol in Sophia University arrived just as I had been reflecting on all of these things. I decided to invest in a plane ticket and decided to spend two years of my life doing a course which combines theory and daily  practice, to explore a new culture, that of unity. I enrolled in a political subject and I found myself in a laboratory of life in which, day by day, together with students and teachers from different backgrounds, we faced an intensive program of study which delineated the culture of unity in many areas of science and of human interaction.

At Sophia University we experience that our goals for social change need to be accompanied by adequate preparation: we need professional formation, multi-dimensional knowledge and a 360° mode of dialogue in order to relate to peoples near and far and to able to manage the network of interdependence that characterizes our time. The comparative study approach among disciplines, illuminated by Chiara Lubich’s charism, is supported by the daily effort to put into practice the insights and academic results we achieve in the classroom. All these things involved my whole being, giving me new skills and different perspectives.

Having concluded the course, I can say that I acquired more expertise as a journalist, not only in employing better writing techniques, but also in reporting certain facts that I might have overlooked before.

I realized that the “new” I was looking for consisted in building relationships all round: with work colleagues, with the people I interview and with the members of the public who read my articles; it only comes about through an intense dialogue of life, through sharing and community consultation.

To aspire to a better world is something very important, but searching for the right tools to create it is equally fundamental. At Sophia University I realized that solutions can’t be improvised; we must devote time and resources to make sure the necessary conditions are there for things to happen.

(Source: Sophia University Institute website)