Caroline Sassatelli, junior in Journalism, has an unique story. Before Journalism, she went to Law school, graduated, worked with it and then decided to leave everything behind to start over. With her red hair and rounded eyes, she told us a little bit about herself, her experiences at the old university and the new one, her dreams and her story. Come with us to learn more about this amazing girl who can teach you a lot about decisions in life!
Age: 27
Hometown: SĂŁo Paulo
Major: Journalism
Year: 2018
Where were you born and how was your childhood?
I was born in SĂŁo Paulo, capital, and my childhood was very calm. I was the youngest kid in the family and the only girl between the cousins. Because of that, I was very tomboy. I was a really creative child as well. I always enjoyed drawing, even though I didn’t know how to – I used to sew my dolls’ clothes with remaining fabric, to paint and to write. I began writing when I was 10 or so. My mother gave me a notebook and I used to write some things there. When I was 13, my cousin that grew up with me as a brother passed away, and I was devastated for a long time. I think that writing helped me a lot to get through this. I write until today! I have a blog and I collaborate with another two. I think that this passion for words was what stimulated me to study Journalism. I think that my creativity in creating games to have fun by myself helped me a lot to have a fertile imagination.
But you went to another university before, right?
Yes! I studied Law before Journalism.
And why Law before Journalism?
When I was finishing high school, I wanted to study something that could make me a Diplomat. I thought about International Relations, but because of the laws themselves, I chose Law school. The thing is that when I had contact with international rights I hated it!
And how was it? I mean, your classes, your experience at all?
I used to study in the morning, so I had classes from 7:30 AM until noon. There used to be 80 students in my classroom! I had classes that would last only a semester, so every 6 months I would have new teachers and new classes, which was good because of its dynamism, but bad at the same time because when I was getting used to the teacher’s rhythm or getting to know him/her better, everything changed. There were some really hard subjects. Sometimes I would study all night and get low grades, so it was frustrating. But at the same time there were easy ones. At the beginning of Law school I just wanted to go to parties and bars, which I regret a little, because I should’ve been more dedicated to studies, but I don’t regret studying it. I think that it opened my mind for many things. The teachers were mostly really older than me and used to have antiquated methods such as to do written reports, or to read 200 pages of a book for a test etc. But I’ve heard that it changed a lot. When I graduated (2013), almost 30 teachers left, it was shocking, but I don’t know how it is now. What I miss the most is the campus. It was amazing to have some fresh air during breaks, it was relaxing.
Did you think about studying Journalism at Cásper LĂbero University while in Law school or did this idea came only afterwards?
I began thinking about Journalism when I was on my 4th year of Law school, because I wasn’t happy anymore. I’ve always enjoyed writing and reading and I’ve always had the will to study Journalism, but because of family pressure I left it behind when I was on high school. I’ve always wanted to study on Cásper, I used to walk by everyday and dream about one day being inside of it… But it was a plan that I thought it would take a long time for me to accomplish.
How was the idea of attending another university? Was it stressful?
It was really tense because I felt lost, you know? I was finishing Law school, was really unhappy, didn’t know if I should finish it or give up and try something else, I had no idea what to do. Besides, my mother had already paid 4 years of it (altogether it was 5 years) and I didn’t want to leave it all behind. I had an internship since the second year of Law school, so I didn’t know if I was unhappy because of the job or if I really didn’t want Law for my life. So I graduated, took my OAB (Brazilian Bar Association test) and started advocating. I did it for over an year, and then I realized I couldn’t do it anymore, I was really unhappy. I used to go to the hospital every week because of migraine. Then I discussed with my family the possibility of starting over, and they supported me. I quited my job, studied for another six months and in 2015 I started Journalism at Cásper LĂbero University. It was hard at the moment to make that decision, but today I realize that we are too young to decide what to do for the rest of our lives when we are only 17 years old! It was tense but I don’t regret it at all.
Why Cásper LĂbero?
I’ve always seen Cásper as a big university, with a lot of history and glory. I’ve always thought that it was part of SĂŁo Paulo’s history and Journalism’s history as well. I also saw the classes offered by the University and became interested in them.
How was taking “vestibular” (a test needed to attend certain university) after a while?
Awkward! I didn’t remember much and it was the first time that I was really older than my classmates. But it was nice to remember things from high school, I’ve always been that kind of nerdy.
And how did you feel when you got accepted at Cásper?
I was immensely happy! But at the same time I was afraid of not making a good choice. It’s weird, because sometimes I feel like I don’t belong here, but I’m loving it anyway. I just don’t have the same energy to go to parties and bars as I used to in Law school. Maybe it’s because I overdid it during that time period and now I’m tired of it, but it’s interesting to see the differences between generations and to live it, I learn a lot!
Do you plan to study anything else after graduating at Cásper?
Right now I would like to do a post-graduation in Journalism… Getting another college degree would be something I could do when I get older — and only if I have the energy for it — because I’m curious and have the will to learn new things!
Now let’s talk about about yourself. What is your favourite book?
Oh, it’s hard to choose only one! I’ve got more than 200 in my bedroom, I’m really obsessed with them. But I think that a book that marked me was The Catcher in the Rye. I read it a long time ago, during high school, and I loved it!
And what about a TV show?
I like comedy TV shows and my favorite one is How I Met Your Mother, definitely. I love Marshall.