I chose community college to save money. Now Yale is giving me a full ride.

Thalles de Souza moved from Brazil to the US as a child and was just accepted to Yale.

Courtesy of Thalles de Souza Thalles de Souza grew up surrounded by shootings and gang violence in Rio de Janeiro.

His single mother secretly saved money to move her children to the US.

After attending community college, he was accepted to Yale with a full-ride scholarship.

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 nearly shot.

Turns out, the police were looking for a family member of ours.

Shootings were common where I lived in Vila Kennedy, a community in Bangu, in Rio de Janeiro .

I witnessed so many deaths — countless deaths.

I lived there with my mom, a single mom , and my three older siblings.

My mom had always done what she could to protect us, given what she experienced as a child.