Driving change around the world
Thaise Constancio Temoteo is utilizing her education to advocate for marginalized communities across the globe.
When Thaise Constancio Temoteo left Brazil to pursue a master's degree, she wasn’t just chasing a diploma—she was on a mission to change the narrative.
After years of reporting on the struggles of Brazil's underrepresented communities, Temoteo, a former journalist, saw firsthand the complex challenges facing different communities. These challenges inspired her to enroll at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs to make a difference.
“Education has always been so important to me and to my family,” she says. “And my hope is that I can use my education to drive meaningful change in Brazil.”
Beginning her career in Brazil
Temoteo’s career began as a journalist for a major newspaper in Brazil. She then moved into corporate communications in the oil and gas sector, eventually transitioning into a role working with undergraduate students to help them enter the energy sector job market.
Driven by a desire to amplify marginalized voices—youth, women, and other underrepresented groups—in an industry where their needs were often overlooked, Temoteo started to engage with underserved communities to help these companies better serve them, and to create a safe environment for professionals from these groups to join the energy sector.
In Brazil, a country where more than half the population identifies as Black or Brown, but where the media often portrays a lighter-skinned, more homogeneous image, Temoteo is working to change the narrative.
“I wanted to change the discourse and bring forward the voices of communities who are often ignored,” she says. “This drove me to work with those groups in the oil and gas industry, pushing to make sure their needs were being addressed.”
Transitioning to the Humphrey School
Despite seeing some change, she wanted to do more and help shape policies that could have a wider and deeper impact.
That next step led her to study public policy at the Humphrey School. She was awarded a Humphrey Public Leaders Fellowship and enrolled in the School’s Master of Development Practice (MDP) program.
After settling into life in Minneapolis with her husband, Temoteo quickly jumped into real-world experiences that could make a difference.
Between her first and second year in the program, Temoteo was part of a research team that won a best paper award for their summer field experience in Liberia. They worked with an organization that aims to increase the use of clean energy cookstoves in that country.
Traditionally, women in Liberia cook over open fires, which can lead to health impacts from inhaling the smoke. Temoteo and her team found that cooks who switch to clean energy stoves see improvements in their health, but the high cost of the stoves is a major barrier. Their research highlighted the need for local and governmental efforts to make cleaner cooking solutions more accessible.
“Being in the MDP program has really opened up my thinking,” Temoteo says. “It’s made me more analytical and strategic in how I look at problems and think about solutions in a more integrated way.”
In addition to the Humphrey School’s academic rigor, Temoteo was also attracted to its community-oriented environment.
“The people are what really stands out to me,” she says. “I have felt so welcomed ever since I got here. I love every single one of my classmates and collaborating with them. It’s been really great to get to know everyone, and see how their experiences are different from mine and that I can learn from their experiences.”
After completing her degree this spring, Temoteo plans to continue studying policies in Brazil to find ways to improve the population's well-being. Her goal is, once returning definitely to Brazil, to continue her work in social policy and local advocacy in her country.
“I want to keep working and apply what I’ve learned here to the issues I care most about,” she says. “I also want to help mentor younger people, especially those from marginalized communities, to empower them to pursue meaningful careers.”