Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil
Present City: Dallas
Education: B.S., Computer Sciences, São Paulo Univ.; B.A., Journalism, Portland State Univ.
Profession: I’m a print and film director. If you ever saw a shiny automobile and felt like you needed it (although you didn’t), there’s a chance it was my fault.
Tell us about your family.
I live in Lake Highlands with my loving partner, Paul Skelton, who is obsessed with plants and dad jokes. I was raised in countryside Brazil by a widowed mother. I have two sisters and am an uncle to Gabriele and Hillary.
How about your work or volunteer life?
I travel extensively, so volunteering is lacking. However, I’ve started producing one-minute videos to help young adults learn political literacy.
Any favorite hobbies?
I love storytelling, so my work blends into my hobbies. I often wake up at night to write scripts I dreamed about. I am an amateur jogger. I learned to cook during the pandemic and now enjoy feeding friends — mostly Wilshire folks brave enough to be early taste testers.
Favorite places to travel?
The Redwoods in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest always slow down my heart.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
I grew up in a controlling (read bigoted) evangelical doctrine. My grandfather is a pastor, and that fear-based environment pushed me away from organized religion. When Paul and I met, he invited me to Wilshire, promising: “They do things differently there.” He was right. I walked in reluctantly and stayed.
Where are you engaged at Wilshire?
Though sporadically, I confess, Paul and I attend Discovery Class.
What has surprised you most about Wilshire?
The honesty and vulnerability. So many bright people willing to admit, “I don’t know.” Also, in an increasingly individualistic world, seeing genuine kindness and community gives me hope.
What is God up to in your life right now?
Being a failed atheist who had to capitulate that the universe is too complex to be random, I feel the closest to God amongst their creations (nature). Frankly, I have more questions than answers and pray for wisdom to recognize truth when it finds me.
Tell us about your faith journey.
My early faith was rooted in fear and shame, so I walked away. Through Paul, I found Wilshire, where I could explore faith without fearing being flawed. I am rebuilding slowly, with curiosity instead of dread, letting my spirituality breathe again.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I lived in Saudi Arabia for six months while directing a tourism campaign. That experience reshaped my worldview in ways words can’t do justice.