Rafael is the Journalism teacher of Methodology and Theories of Communication. Wearing funny and sometimes polemic t-shirts Grohmann became popular in campus and among students.
Name: Rafael Grohmann
Age: 27
Major: Social Sciences at Juiz de Fora Federal University (UFJF)
MBA: Communications’ Science at ECA-USP
Hometown: Guaratinguetá, São Paulo
Sign: Gemini
Interests: Music, movies and Journalism
Rafa, this is your second year at Cásper Líbero University. How do you like it so far?
I think that there is no freshness anymore, which makes kind of a pressure on me to rethink and recreate myself every time. On the other side, I already know most of the students and how things work, which is good. I like to show students that it’s possible to make Journalism without it being weary. My challenge for this second year then, is to keep with the same speed as a beginner, but with the bonus of knowing what is coming ahead.
How do you like Cásper?
I really like this place and, it feels like home. I wish I could come here every single day (he teaches only on Tuesdays and Fridays). I thought I would never find such a welcoming place like here, where you can talk to everybody.
Cásper has a fantastic teacher’s board and it’s an honor to work with and learn from such great people. It’s really nice to teach at a college that, in my opinion, offers one of the best Journalism courses in the whole country. There are things that we see here that don’t exist anywhere else.
Your apartment is really characteristic: there are memes puffs, music box chairs, tons of books and a Van Gogh puppet. What do you think about that?
I like that my apartment represents me, in a way that I’m not afraid of having dinner anywhere there. I live by myself, so I can have things that speak for my personality like music, cinema and Journalism. I like that when people come to my house they say: “This is Rafa’s place”.
In my fridge you won’t find much, since I live by myself and right next to a market. You shouldn’t expect a luxurious place either, but it’s exactly the way I like it.
What kind of music do you like? What’s your favorite band/musician?
I listen a lot to indie rock songs. Actually I’ve been addicted, in the last few weeks, to Mumford and Sons. It came from Lollapalooza but it’s been on my playlist for the last 10 days.
Let’s talk about your polemic t-shirts. Do you feel like they express something?
It’s a way of communication and I see my body as media. I think that we transmit messages with our bodies. The shirts do not necessary have the message of the day and so, my favorite one is usually the one I’m wearing at that moment. This can be a bit cliché, but we are living a specific occasion and that’s what matters.
Would you have dogs, cats, birds or animals in general? Which one do you like the most?
I like animals but I wouldn’t have them at my own house, because as I said, I live by myself. I don’t even know how to take care of myself yet, imagine a dog.
People usually can’t wait to get out of high school and graduate from college. Why did you decide to follow the academic area?
I like the environment. It’s something that challenges me and I appreciate it. Sometimes in class, for example, I choose someone that looks “shy” just because I want to get impressed by him/her. I like to hear from people opinions that I wouldn’t expect and so, change the class a little bit according to their points of view. I feel like we grow and learn; it’s something “alive”. It’s something that makes me feel alive actually.
Your classes are really fun, easygoing and bring a lot of concrete things from reality like songs, movies, memes etc. How do you think it affects the process of learning and your relationship with students?
I think that this is what moves me. I’ve been trying to show different aspects of myself and teaching like this is an alternative. It’s not like I plan for them to be distracted, it just comes along with the moment; it’s stronger than me. I believe that the learning process comes from the association students create with reality: if you only consider the abstract, you don’t go anywhere.
Do you like travelling? What is your favorite destination?
Yes, I really enjoy travelling. My favorite place in Brazil is Rio de Janeiro and I think it’s the only place I would live besides São Paulo city. Abroad, I’m in love with three cities: London, Barcelona and Berlin. I like big cities and I don’t think I would be able to live in a small city in the countryside ever again.