Freedom through language

Cainã Perri de Souza’s mother sold her house in order for him to learn English. Now a teacher trainer, he’s ensuring thousands of Brazilian children don’t have to make sacrifices to access education.

For Cainã Perri de Souza (MEd Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) 2018), English language meant escape. It meant being able to watch his favourite films, sing his favourite songs – and as he grew older, a chance to see the world.

But growing up in a small Brazilian town, he had no opportunity to learn it.

“My dad died when I was eight years old,” Cainã says. “My mother worked two jobs, and we had no money. You could learn English if you went to private school, but we couldn’t afford that.”

It is a perpetual problem in Brazil, he says. Speaking English can open doorways to global networks, higher salaries, and a better life – but lessons are an exclusive opportunity for the wealthy. He set out to end the injustice; not only would he speak it, he would become an English language teacher and democratise access to quality education.

When a private English language institute opened in Cainã’s town, it did not bring him any closer to that goal – until his mum decided to beg. Surprisingly, the teacher agreed to teach him for free. “Teacher Claudia,” Cainã smiled. “I was nine years old, and she changed my life.”

His language skills and drive carried Cainã to university – although his mother had to sell her house for him to get there. “She used the money to fund my degree, then four months in Canada for my TESOL qualification. Finally I was able to teach English."

He travelled the world to teach in Turkey and Peru, before returning to Brazil. Initially planning to teach, he was soon invited to work as a teacher trainer on a volunteer programme in low-income communities, or favelas. “I realised how my impact scaled up. Instead of helping 30 to 40 students, I was helping 30 to 40 teachers, and reaching thousands of students. If I could improve the teaching, I could improve student access to quality education.”

He pursued a formal qualification in teaching education, which brought him to Leeds. “I worked three jobs to save money to come to Leeds. I was given an international student scholarship, and it was a dream come true – although it was raining when I got there, of course."

Cainã is now a leader in teacher education in Brazil. He designed mass online courses for the Khan Academy, which served over 3.7 million students. He joined the Skills for Prosperity programme, which aims to increase the quality of English language teaching in Brazil, and was responsible for creating free learning and education programmes for over 12,000 teachers. He was named a global finalist in the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards for his social impact.

“I look back at eight-year-old me and I realise how lucky I've been. But in reality, every single person should have access to quality education without needing a Teacher Claudia to open the door.”

During Covid-19, physician scientist Melvin Sanicas became a source of vital health information for thousands in the Philippines and around the world. He was named a global finalist in the Study UK Alumni Awards in recognition of his work.  

“I learnt about the flu pandemic of 1918 when I was at school,” said Melvin Sanicas (PGCert Patient Safety and Clinical Risk Management 2010). “Ever since, I had it in my mind that something would happen in 2018 because history teaches us that pandemics happen every 100 years or so.  

“Nothing happened, but Covid-19 wasn’t long after.” 

Melvin is a physician scientist specialising in vaccinology, infectious diseases and global health. Over his career, he has worked between scientific research and clinical practice to deliver vaccines around the globe.  

During Covid-19, after growing frustrated by the misinformation circling on the web, he broadcast accurate advice and information to the public. His work saw him listed as one of the Filipino Heroes of the pandemic, and he was given The Outstanding Young Men award for science and medicine. The British Council Study UK Alumni Awards nomination followed. 

“There were doctors and physicians sharing exaggerated messages and theories about the pandemic,” he said. “You get more attention that way but it’s dangerous, and it motivated me to provide accurate information to people.” 

Posting onTwitter (now known as X), Melvin gained a reputation for sharing simple and understandable explanations. His follower numbers grew, and organisations – and even governments – began to share his posts. He fielded calls and Zoom meetings, using his expertise to guide and advise. “I helped explain why it was important to have the vaccine. I explained that there will always be benefits and risks in vaccines. You have to look at which outweighs the other, and that depends on the individual – it’s a very personal thing. The decisions we make affect other people too.” 

In August 2022, the Senate of the Philippines paid tribute to Melvin for being an internationally-recognized Covid-19 expert, and for his tireless work in scientific communication, advancing the field of vaccinology, and making significant contributions to global public health. 

“I never did it for accolades,” Melvin said. “It’s just what I’ve always done. For the last ten years, I have worked between scientific research and clinical practice in translational medicine, which means bringing vaccines to the market.” 

Melvin has travelled the world to study and work – moving from Manila to Siena, Singapore, Leicester, London and Zurich. His Leeds studies took place online. “The course taught me a lot about managing risks, drug safety and reporting. I started to really think about systems in place in region of Asia-Pacific.” 

Amongst his achievements, Melvin helped to implement a two-dose  Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination schedule and a school-based vaccination program to protect girls from cervical cancer in Southeast Asia. He launched the Collaboration for Tuberculosis Vaccine Discovery, a global network to develop new TB vaccines. 

He played a key part in the delivery of the quadrivalent influenza vaccines, and as a TED educator his lessons on infectious diseases have been translated into over 25 different languages and viewed over 10 million times worldwide. 

But it was his work on social media during Covid-19 that truly thrust Melvin into the public eye. “I had lots of messages from young people saying that I was inspiring them to do science, which then inspires me to do it more. 

“I’ve been able to have a tangible impact on health around the world, and that makes me very proud.”