Name: Telma Borges
Country: Brazil
Advice to new students: You will feel valuable contributing to the group; we are all growing and building together.
In August 2020, Telma Borges joined INTERLINK’s English classes as a part-time student. This month, we celebrate her graduation from the program! Telma has been an exemplary student, as she balanced her studies, being a full-time mother, and her passion for photography.
Telma is originally from São Paulo, Brazil, and lived in Curitiba with her family before moving to North Carolina. With a degree in Economics, an MBA in Marketing and work experience in banking with the Citibank Management team, Telma entered the INTERLNK program with a rich history of experiences, adding a great depth of understanding and skill which she readily shared with her classmates. That was something that stood out to her in INTERLINK’s classes – students’ contributions are so important to the group and the learning process. “You feel valuable – the small contribution you share; it was valuable for others because we are all growing and building together.”
The active learning she experienced in INTERLINK’s classes was impressive to her as she had never had an opportunity to learn in that way. She loved that the English classes were focused on the students discovering things themselves, not through lectures. She explained how the best result is when you see your progress. “When there’s a lecture, the speaker is sharing their knowledge so you’re not making progress. It’s not about receiving the information from someone else, you are getting the information and understanding it. We build it together, we walk together… It’s not passive learning!”
That was something that stood out to Telma in INTERLINK’s classes – students’ contributions are so important to the group and the learning process.
Telma moved from her home in Curitiba to Greensboro, North Carolina when her husband was transferred to a new position at his job. She and her family have thoroughly enjoyed living in the U.S. One similarity Telma notes between Brazil and the U.S. is that both countries are very diverse. Brazil has large populations of people from Portugal, Middle Eastern countries, Japan, Italy, and many African countries. One thing she misses about her home country is the quality of the food. Brazilian food is full of different flavors and it is always homemade. One of her favorite dishes is called feijoada (pronounced fay-jwa-da). It is a kind of stew with pork and black beans and commonly includes different cuts of pork and smoked meat. It’s loved all across Brazil and is usually found in restaurants on Saturdays as a featured dish.
Now that Telma is graduating, she’ll have more time to pursue her artistic talent in photography. She studied photography from 2007 to 2009 and she has gradually built up her business. She does portrait photography for families, as well as beautiful floral studies, landscapes and architectural elements. Check out her photos on Instagram @TelmaBorgesPhotography!
We all wish Telma and her family well as they return to Brazil in July!
