The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce proudly recognizes four exceptional Person of the Year Fellows, Érica Amélia Butow (2012), Lucas Tomilheiro Sancassani (2012), Victor Cezar Boyadjian (2018), and Felipe Costa Rodrigues Neves (2018), for their outstanding dedication to upholding their POY Fellowship Commitments. These fellows not only engage in projects that bring about meaningful social impacts in their communities, but they have also created or contributed to important philanthropic initiatives, demonstrating their high level of dedication to the betterment of society in a global context.

Érica Butow is President and Co-Founder of Ensina Brasil, a non-profit organization that aims to transform education from within the classroom by recruiting talent from the best universities to become public school teachers in vulnerable communities and develop the future leaders of Brazil.

Lucas Sancassani and Victor Boyadjian have made financial contributions to Instituto Ling, a non-profit organization which aims to turn Brazil into a more fair and progressive society through education, culture, and health, based on the values of meritocracy, freedom, and reciprocity. Lucas also acted as Volunteer President and is currently on the Board of Directors of Amigos da Poli, the largest endowment fund among Latin American universities which supports undergraduate studies and provides career mentoring.

Felipe Neves is Founder of Civics Educação, a legal education platform which finances scholarships for low-income public-school students in Brazil. He is also Founder & President of the NGO Projeto Constituição na Escola, which facilitates public-school classes on constitutional law.

Through philanthropic endeavors and financial contributions, our fellows exemplify the spirit of giving and its value in creating a more equitable society. Their dedication to invest resources back into their communities reflects the success of the POY Fellowship Program in recognizing young leaders devoted to civic engagement, with remarkable potential and proven professional capacities. They set an outstanding example for other POY Fellows and embody the ultimate mission of the POY Fellowship Program, that being to generate a philanthropic return to society that continues over time and strengthens relationships between nations.

We congratulate Érica, Lucas, Victor, and Felipe for their integrity and philanthropy, and for being inspiring examples for other young leaders.