Rafaela Nogueira Lannes
Rafaela Nogueira Lannes was a student at Casa Thomas Jefferson
until June 2009, when her family moved to California, in the U.S.
Check out the interview she gave us about studying in an American
High School.
CTJ: How long did you study at CTJ?
RAFAELA: CTJ was the one and only English
course! I started in the very beginning, Popcorn 1 (omg, it's been
such a long time…), seven years ago.
CTJ: How has studying English at Thomas helped
you?
RAFAELA: Thomas Jefferson helped me a lot.
Seriously, I think my adaptation to the U.S. would not have been as
natural as it turned out to be, if I hadn't had all those CTJ
years. It was so important to learn everything I learned there,
because it was not only grammar, it was also the day-to-day
language. Although I hadn't graduated yet, Thomas gave me an
awesome base, so much so that I passed the California High School
Exit Eamination (CAHSEE) on my very first try ! This is a
precondition for High School graduation, and is considered a
difficult test
CTJ: What was your first experience in an
American school like?
RAFAELA: It was and still is amazing! At the
beginning, it was kind of different, because I was in another
country, I had to live in another culture, and I had moved to a new
school where I didn't know anyone. But I got used to all of this so
fast ! It's awesome to study in and be part of a real American High
School, complete with cheerleaders (me included !!), the football
team (Go, Cougars !!), the prom, and friends I'll never forget.
CTJ: Tell us a little more about your life in
the US and your plans for the future.
RAFAELA: I live in California, in a city by the
San Francisco Bay. It's a great place to live. My life is pretty
much like any other High School senior's: besides school
during the week, on weekends I hang out with my friends. And
everyday I talk to my boyfriend, who stayed in Brasília. I will go
back to Brazil next July and I'll do my best to go to college next
year. And you know what ? I'll keep on studying English, because
it's a tool for life.
Isabela Brasileiro
How long were you a student at CTJ?
I started my CTJ classes when I was 13 (in 2001) and I graduated at the age of 19. At first, I began studying English just because my parents wanted, but it was cool in the first levels. But then, as I went through the books, it started to get harder and I started to have so many difficulties that I wanted to stop studying English. However, when I got to the advanced level, I began liking English in a way I never thought I would.
When did you graduate?
I graduated at the beginning of the second semester of 2007, because I chose to do the winter course, which was taught by a great teacher, Ronaldo Lima Junior, who, more than the knowledge, brought us lots of unforgettable and funny moments. By the way, unfortunately, I couldn’t go to the graduation because of an invitation I got to become an international model.
How did your career as a model begin?
Since I was 16, many people used to tell me to go through a model career, because I was tall and had posture. However, I never liked this idea very much, and, to be honest, I thought that being a model could be really boring, even liking the profession. Then, one day a booker, the person who chooses models, told me that I had a good profile and I should be a good model to work abroad, because of my height and my body. Consequently, that was when I started to think about it, because I always had a great interest in living abroad and getting to know new cultures. My first job as a model was in BFF (Brasília Fashion Festival), and, when it was almost July of 2007, I received an invitation to work in Milan. That was when I decided to take the CTJ intensive winter course.
Tell us a bit more about your international experiences now and for the future.
Even though 2007 was a year full of great surprises, 2008 will be a much busier and even more amazing year regarding jobs, especially the international ones.
After a season of 3 months in Milan, I went to Argentina and stayed for 3 weeks just for a one-week job. Then I came back to Brazil where I will be until the 28th of February. On this day, I'll go to Costa Rica, where I'll stay for 2 weeks for a TV recording and then I'll be back to Milan to follow a 3-month contract.
It is amazing to travel this much, I'm enjoying it a lot. More than that, getting to know new cultures and languages is awesome, even though I speak only English in all those trips. Hahaha.