CLAREMORE — For Henrique Sousa, coming to America was a means to an ends for him to play soccer.
A native of Sao Paula, Brazil, Sousa’s dreams of becoming a professional soccer — or “futbol” — player seemed to be coming true when he received a soccer scholarship from Rogers State University in 2008.
The only problem? He couldn’t speak any English.
“I learned early in life to live every day to the fullest, to start every day with the attitude that you’ve got to work hard and make the most out of every day,” Sousa said. “Back in Brazil, I had a friend who loved soccer like I did — like I do — but he was in a motorcycle accident when he was 20 years old and couldn’t walk.
“Even so, he wasn’t angry with life, he was very upbeat, very positive, because up to that point, he’d been able to do what he loved in life — play soccer — and he had no regrets,” he continued. “From that point on, I took what happened to him as a lesson to me and always appreciated every day I was given, every 24-hours of every day, making the most of it, working hard to overcome adversities. Adversities which I ran into when I came to America, especially, since at that time, I could not speak English.”
Sousa, who many Rotarians already knew as a server, had worked for years at RSU in the food service, but addressed them Tuesday as a new Rotarian.
“It was very difficult when I first came here. I thought I was only here (at RSU) to play soccer, not to study, not to get a degree, but I quickly learned that if I was going to play, I would have to go to classes which wasn’t easy, speaking only Portuguese,” he said. “I couldn’t understand a word that anyone was saying to me in the beginning and I was having to study in order to play. I wondered what I was in for.”
Despite his reservations, Sousa slowly began to pick up the language, largely to continue to play soccer, but partly because of his desire to better himself.
“And meet pretty girls,” he joked.
“I was blessed to have people around me. My coach, my teammates, my friends, who were very patient with me and would help me learn English, little by little,” he said, “and by my sophomore year, I was making straight A’s. I have to tell you, I was so proud, not only because I was doing so well academically, but because I was doing well (academically), studying at a school where two years earlier, I couldn’t understand anything that was being said to me.”
So well was Sousa doing in the classroom that by 2012, he was named an Academic All American, only the second in RSU’s history and his accomplishments on the soccer field soon earned him distinctions of first team conference, second team all conference, Capital One Academic All District Team, and MVP at Rogers State University in 2011.
Additionally, he played for the Saint Louis Lions professional development league in the summer of 2011, and completed in the USL pro combine in Bradenton, Fla. in January of 2012.
And of course, he met a pretty girl, whom he married in May 2012.
Although the opportunity did eventually arise for him to compete professionally on a soccer team, to do so would have meant only getting a salary of $600 a month and having to room with his teammates. An opportunity which he declined to stay with his wife, a nurse in Tulsa, and finish his degree at RSU.
“I’m so happy with my life. I just want to encourage all of you to appreciate and take advantage of every minute you’re given,” he said. “There were so many times after coming here when I could have given up. I didn’t know the language, I didn’t know the people, the classes were too hard, I was homesick, but I didn’t, and neither should you.
“In life, you can either take the easy way out and give up, or wake up every morning, get dressed, go to work, do your best, and make the most out of every day that’s given to you,” he said. “I graduated on time and with honors and I’m only getting started (in life). There’s no reason why I, or any of you, should ever waste the 24 hours you’re given every day to make a difference.”
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