Meet this year's honorees

“I can only thank PUCRS for the opportunity to develop my intellectual path and to contribute to this endeavor with the academic community and Brazilian society. I am also grateful for the friends, colleagues and students I met here.

The Brother Afonso Medal is, of course, a celebratory mark of recognition and gratitude, but it is also a symbol of friendship, philia and agape.”

Nythamar de Oliveira – School of Humanities

“Receiving the Ir. Afonso Medal for my 25 years of dedication to PUCRS is a deeply moving honor, a celebration of a journey full of learning and mutual growth. Every class I taught, every research I conducted, every patient I cared for were moments of intense exchange, where I also became a student. This medal is, for me, a symbol of the continuous cycle of learning and inspiration that defines my trajectory at PUCRS. I share this honor with all those who, throughout these 25 years, helped me grow as a doctor, professor and human being.”

Marcus Herbert Jones – School of Medicine

“First of all, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to work in this blessed institution, where I started as a construction worker. Through my humility and dedication, I became an electrician’s assistant 6 months after being hired. After 7 years, with much perseverance, I became a professional electrician. In 2014, I had an opportunity I never imagined: to be an electrical and logic foreman, recently appointed as a class leader. I am very grateful to all my bosses and coordinators at Rede Marista for believing in our potential and providing us with professional growth. My sincere and eternal ‘thank you very much’.”

Jose Alexandre dos Santos – GEINFRA

“My journey at PUCRS began with my undergraduate degree, then I followed my path and returned to do my Master’s degree and become a teacher in 1999. Since then, I have been grateful for the opportunities, trust, fellow professors and administrative staff, and especially the students, who have helped me become a better teacher, living up to Marist values ​​and also allowing me to grow as a human being. Receiving the Brother Afonso medal for these 25 years is an immense joy; being part of this community makes me and my family very proud. I am thrilled and very grateful. Thank you, PUCRS!”

Sonia Maria de Souza Bonelli – School of Humanities

“Receiving the Irmão Afonso Medal is an honor for me, as it symbolizes half of my life dedicated to this institution. With great commitment, excellence, zeal and love, I carry out my work every day. I would like to thank the managers who gave me this opportunity and experience, and my colleagues for the daily interaction. These are 25 years of joy, challenges, resilience and achievements. Thank you HSLPUCRS!”

Juliana Pierdona – HSL

“When I was invited to receive this honor from the University, a movie played in my head. I celebrated internally not only the time that these 25 years represent, but the density of each second that fits into this period. It is a type of relationship that cannot be taken for granted, as something normal that is achieved automatically, but rather the result of a constant effort of personal learning and reinvention. The intense exchange between institution and individual creates these precious memories, which illustrated the film from the beginning.”

Eduardo Campos Pellanda – School of Communication, Arts and Design

“When we celebrate a long journey with someone, we can say that we both have a lot in common, which keeps us always united. I believe in sharing common values, a solid foundation for building and growing. I believe that among the Marist values ​​that we share, love for work and family spirit stand out in this union. To PUCRS, to all who have been part of it during these 25 years, my deepest gratitude. I have learned and continue to learn from everyone in the search for a more fraternal, more humane and better world. Let us dare together, in renewing our journey, towards a new future.”

Paulo Adriano Alves – PROAF

“Receiving the Ir. Afonso Medal for 25 years at PUCRS is an immense honor. Here, I not only developed professionally, but also grew as a person. It was in this environment that I graduated, raised my family, saw my husband graduate and had the joy of seeing a son graduate. I was also able to enroll my daughter at Marista Champagnat, something that makes me very proud. I am deeply grateful for all the experiences I have had and for everything I can still achieve in this special place.”

Jaqueline da Silva Alves Knob – School of Law

“Receiving the Irmão Afonso Medal represents a very special moment in my mission and vocation as a teacher, whose interaction with students and colleagues in an excellent educational institution generates personal and professional growth in our exercise of citizenship.”

Ricardo Minotto – Business School

“Over the course of my 25 years of dedication to PUCRS, I have been constantly challenged to reinvent myself, which has encouraged me to seek continuous growth in my professional career, always aiming for excellence. Contributing to the training of new professionals and citizens, both in undergraduate and graduate studies, is enriching, as is the opportunity to conduct research and collaborate on different fronts of university management. I am grateful for the honor and for the trust placed in me over the years at this institution, of which I am proud to be a part.”

Isabel Harb Manssour – Polytechnic School

“I have been working at HSL for 25 years. Here I have made dreams come true and achieved great things in my life! I am grateful! Gratitude is a feeling of recognition, and I am sure that all the hardships I have experienced were essential, as they taught me tolerance, kindness, self-control and perseverance. On the other hand, all the happy moments have left their mark on my soul: I keep them all in a very special place. I feel even happier to be sharing this moment with my sister Jaqueline, who is also receiving the 25-year medal from the University! Thank you PUCRS for being part of our lives!”

Raquel Tatiana Da Silva Soares – HSL

“Receiving the Irmão Afonso Medal is an honor for me. It is 25 years of teaching at PUCRS, a period in which academic semesters have followed one another and become one with the progress of my life, experiences that have overlapped, enabling academic maturity and personal growth. I thank PÚCRS and everyone who supported me on this journey for an opportunity of such relevance.”

Mauro Fiterman – Law School

“What sums up my feelings at this moment is GRATITUDE. I feel grateful for the people I met and with whom I was able to develop as a person and a professional; for the challenges of the classroom, with students eager to learn; for the encouragement to pursue a doctorate; for sharing this world with my daughter as an undergraduate and master's student; for the countless opportunities for collaboration, learning and interaction with different audiences, through representations and participation in the field of Higher Education. I am GRATEFUL for the opportunity to live in an environment that aligns with my values ​​and worldview – and for celebrating this moment collectively.”

Marion Creutzberg – School of Health and Life Sciences

“I am VERY HONORED to receive this important award from our University. I am very GRATEFUL to everyone who was part of this beautiful journey: students, colleagues, family members and administrators who supported and encouraged our paths through PUCRS. I share this award with all of you! I am very PROUD to have participated in the construction of academic structures of excellence and the integral and Marist education of human beings. Thank you very much for the opportunity, and on to the next 25 years!!!”

Moises Evandro Bauer – School of Health and Life Sciences

“It is an honor to receive the 25-year tribute from PUCRS, in recognition of the time I have spent serving in Education based on Marist Values, which I carry with me throughout my life and share with those around me. I am grateful to the Central Library, where I work as a librarian and witnessed the transformation of building 16 and its countless actions to support our academic community with excellence. Thank you, PUCRS, for being part of this story.”

Salete Maria Sartori – Central Library

“I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) for the 25 years of service provided. During this period, I had the honor of contributing with professionalism, commitment and continuous learning. Receiving the Irmão Afonso Medal is a great honor and a recognition that fills me with pride. I would like to thank all my colleagues, managers and students who have been part of this journey and who, together, have built an environment of excellence and dedication. Thank you very much for this opportunity and for all your support over the years.”

Mozart Macagnan – Polytechnic School

“Joining the PUCRS faculty has been a dream of mine since the beginning of my career as a professor. A dream come true, I have spent almost a third of my life here! My story with this University is also my life story. Here, I have developed as a professional and as a human being, and I have also been able to make great friends and learn from colleagues and students. Being awarded the Irmão Afonso medal is an honor that crowns my happy journey in teaching in an exceptional way.”

Fernanda Rabello – School of Law

“I started here as a young man, a family man, with a four-year-old son. Today I am a young man, a family man and a young grandfather. Here I studied, earned my first degree and specialization. My wife and children are also part of the institution. Regarding PUCRS, I only have positive thoughts, which inspire me, motivate me and lead me to build this entire trajectory.

Everything I mentioned reminds me of the Marist way of being: welcoming, boldness, simplicity, family spirit, wit – everything that is intrinsic to us. Much gratitude!”

Victor Hugo Soares Souza – PROAF

“It’s been 25 years of dedication, which are intertwined with my own trajectory. I remember as if it were yesterday the day I entered here, carrying dreams and expectations. Since then, the enchantment of being part of this house remains unchanged.

At every step of this journey, God’s hand has been present. I am deeply grateful to Him for guiding me, and to this institution, which has welcomed me as part of its family. This evening is not only a celebration of the past, but also a testament to the love and dedication that continues to guide my path.”

Viviane Benin Piedra Cueva – HSL

“I am immensely grateful to have spent these 25 years at PUCRS. I am grateful for the learning, the knowledge I acquired, and the recognition I received from colleagues and administrators. The friendships I made in various sectors of the University were valuable, and the experience of living on this wonderful campus is invaluable. Furthermore, I am very grateful for the benefits that PUCRS has brought to me and my family, especially for the positive impact it has had on my children’s academic lives.”

Carla Carmo Rothmann – School of Medicine

“In January 1999, when I started teaching at FAMED-PUCRS, my only daughter was born. During these 25 years, this woman has only made me overflow with pride. At the same time, during these 25 years, my heart is also full of pride for the friendships, companionship and partnerships that contributed to my professional development. Many thanks to the Marist community for the ceremony.”

Alexandre Losekann – School of Medicine