When Mrs. Ciminero talked about wanting more articles for NMS, We immediately knew who to write about; Maicon De Melo. Maicon arrived here at NMS February of 2025 and he came from Minas Gerais, Brazil. We thought we would just do a little questions and answer piece too!
I guess our first question makes the most sense:
How in the world did you end up in Niles, Ohio? We came here for family reasons and for a wedding.
So now let’s talk about his family.
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- When were you born? July 9, 2011.
- What did your parents do for work? My mom is a human resource worker and dad owns an alcohol store which sells beer and wine in Brazil.
- What part of New Jersey did you live in? I lived in Cherry Hill. It’s just across the bridge from Philadelphia.
- Why did you move to Brazil? My grandmother had stage four cancer.
- What family is still in Brazil? Mostly my dad’s side; including my two uncles, one aunt and seven first cousins.
Maicon with his cousin Igor. (Courtesy of Maicon De Melo)
- Do you have any relatives here? Yes, there’s some in Hubbard.
Now we’re going to talk about schooling.
- What are the schools like in Brazil? They are much smaller compared to school here.
- Is school easier or harder in Brazil? It’s much harder; Brazil’s education is a year behind.
- Do you like school more here or Brazil? I like school here more since it’s way bigger and there’s more freedom.
- What’s your favorite subject in school? I like math; it’s simpler since it is the same in all countries.
- How have you been adapting to the new school life? It’s been hard since I feel like I’m a whole year behind.
How is the culture different in Brazil compared to here?
- Did you have to learn a different language? Yes, I adapted to my parents
speaking Portuguese.
- What are jobs like there? The jobs require a lot more manual labor.
- What is your money called? It’s called Real pronounced (RE-ALL)
Rapid Fire questions:
- Would you rather be living in Niles or Brazil? I would rather live in Brazil because it’s warmer and my friends still live there.
- How often did you hangout with Davi? We would see each other every Friday when we played soccer.
- What’s your favorite food? I really like rice and beans.
- Are you fluent in Portuguese? Yes and I also speak fluent English.
- How long was the plane ride? It was about 12 hours.
- Do you ever plan to go back to Brazil? Yes, I plan to visit next year.
How do sports affect your life in Brazil, and here at Niles?
- What sports do you play? I’ve been playing soccer for five years. I was about seven years old.
- Did you play soccer with any friends while in Brazil? Yes, I played with my best friend named Davi when I began playing.
- Do you play soccer in Niles? Yes, Niles Youth Soccer League (NYSL).
- Are you looking forward to your upcoming soccer season? Yes, I’m very excited!
We really enjoyed talking with Maicon; we are so glad he came to Niles. We wish you the best in America and hope this new opportunity serves you well! Hope to see you around NMS!
