I Grew up Around Shootings in Rio De Janeiro. Now I’m Going to Yale.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Thalles de Souza. It has been edited for length and clarity. In March 2016, on a Sunday morning, police entered my house, shouting and shooting. At only 13, I woke up screaming, not sure of what was happening. When I walked into the kitchen, I was…