1. Journalism Department 650 North Pleasant Street Tel. 413.545.1376
S414 Integrative LearningCenter Amherst, MA 01003 W W W. UMAS S . EDU/J OUR NALIS M
7/20/16
To Whom It Concerns:
I am writing to add to your references for Helenice Valentim, my student and adviseeduring her tenure here at the
University of Massachusetts. I am delighted to sharemy impressions of this exceptional student and exemplary
human being.
Oscar Wildesaid a “cynic is a person who knows the priceof everything and the valueof nothing.” My interactions
with Helenice revealed a healthy journalistic skepticismthatnever lapsed into cynicism. Her senseof empathy and
realisticoptimismmakes her an ideal journalist. Heleniceis a committed lifelongstudent who embraces the learning
philosophy of her countryman, Paulo Freire, that we all learn and teach,sometimes in a singularconversation,that
knowledge resides in all human beings regardless of their station or stage in lifeor cultural background. Whilehere
in Amherst Helenice mastered the journalistic skill settranslatableacrossdisciplines .
Good writing,corroboration of fact, exquisitestorytellingand the ability thefind the lightin dark surroundings,are
strengths of our craftand disciplineHeleniceowns in abundance. She accepts hard facts ,tempered by the
knowledge, that truth is the foundation for hope.
We spent many hours discussingpolitics, history,philosophy and ethics. Wediscussed thepolitics of Brazil with its
seeming intractablepoverty and corruption. We spent many officehours drawingparallel lines between the power
that corrupts here in the states and that of her home country. Yet, she shared with me the idea that journali sm,
good journalism,is a spiritual force,thatthe samecountries that perfected an inextricably linked African slavetrade
also produced journalists who challenged the established order,eventually ending in the abolition of that peculiar
institution. Heleniceimpressed me with her understandingthat lifeand history is cyclical rather than linear,thatthe
real purposein lifewas to do good work with meaning whileretainingyour dignity and principals.
Whileshe was here in Amherst she garnered awards for her work in student media. She did this whilenegotiating
seemingly insurmountablepersonal problems,the ordinary truth of people who are not born to wealth or social
status. Helenice got high marks as a student and human being. She did not spend time lamenting what she did not
have, she justtransformed what she did have, intellect,passion,compassion and a conviction thatlearningisonly as
good as your use of itin the serviceof your family and fellowhuman beings.
Helenice speaks several languages. In all thosetongues, she speaks the most important of communication modes,
she speaks truth. Helenice has a letter A command of languagewith an unlimited capacity of pensive intellectual
quality thatanimates her work and conversation. Her ability to listen is in the top ten percent of students I have
taught in these past25 years.
I vouch for her without the slightestreservation. She will flourish in any setting. Helenice knows how to work in
concert with others and she knows how to laugh,especially atherself. She understands the importance of finding
harmony, even when she works with people who do not shareher views or ways of seeing. Helenice has grasped the
vital lesson thatsometimes the truth is different from the facts, that people can see the facts in the same way while
disagreeing on what those facts mean. Her ability to see from different vantage points gives her a great sense of
appreciation of different cultures and ways of knowing and seeing. Pleasegive her the utmos t consideration.
Sincerely,
Prof. Nick McBride