This spring, THC’s Development team welcomes intern Isabela Lyrio. Isabela, who hails from Brazil, is a senior at The George Washington University. We asked Isabela to share a little about herself and her passions.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Isabela Lyrio and I am from São Paulo, Brazil. I currently study Political Science with a minor in Sociology at The George Washington University, and will graduate in May, 2016. Through my time in GW I studied abroad in Havana, Cuba where I took my first Urban Studies class called ‘Anthropology of Havana’ and since then, I have committed my time and studies towards this field. I strongly believe in working to serve those in need and am interested in working with community building and housing rights in Latin America following graduation.

What are you passionate about?

I am passionate about Latin culture, history and resilience in the face of hardship. I am motivated to work and attain as much knowledge as I can to be qualified to serve those in need upon returning home to Brazil, and to actually promote meaningful social change in urban centers. I am especially interested in working with the transition of homeless families towards permanent, affordable housing as well as engaging in improving the living conditions of people residing in informal housing settlements.

What brings you to THC?

I became interested in working with housing by growing up in one of the world’s largest metropolises and witnessing extreme poverty and social inequality back home. During my time in DC I have participated in community service organizations and internships that have taught me how to engage in social issues I am passionate about. I am excited to be interning with THC and hope that my time here will help me learn about approaches towards supporting families that suffer from chronic homelessness. I think that the skills I learn here can teach me how to foster social change in the future.