Murilo Cunha, junior engineering major, balances being both a soccer and tennis player while working toward his engineering degree.

Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Cunha has spent the last three years living at PNW. Cunha said that he reached out to a company that showed that PNW would be a good fit for him.

“I wanted somewhere to go to school, play sports, but I first came for my diploma,” Cunha said.

Cunha said he had to adapt to living in Hammond and the changes that come with moving to a new country.

“I think the biggest difference is cultural,” Cunha said. “I mean, I don’t regret coming here, which I get asked about a lot. I always tell people ‘not at all.’ I’ve learned a lot here. Whenever I go home, I always see how much I’ve grown.”

Sergio Reyes, former soccer teammate, said that he admires Cunha.

“Murilo goes after his goals,” Reyes said. “He seems to be someone who was raised to be excellent in all that he does.

Cunha said his family has been an influence for deciding to study engineering.

“My parents are both doctors and that’s been something that interests me, but I wouldn’t say that’s my thing,” Cunha said. “My brother chose to go into engineering as well, and I think we have a lot of the same interests. We both like sports, engineering and the science, physics, and designing part of it.”

Cunha said he has learned valuable things at PNW.

“I learned how to plan a day for myself better,” Cunha said. “I pretty much had to take care of my schedule. I really had to start doing everything myself, but I would say that the big thing is time management.”

At PNW, Cunha is an Honors College student and works for admissions as a campus ambassador.

Cunha said he has loved his time here in in Hammond and plans to stay here after graduation if he can find work.