Walterson Souza loves Union so much he graduated three times, and now he’s back as the university’s special events director for alumni and university relations. That title is a bit of a mouthful, and he happily introduces himself simply as “the party maker.”
Originally from Brasília, Souza first heard about Union as a nursing major at the Adventist University Center of Sao Paulo. “I thought, Why not learn English for a little while?,” Souza laughed. “I’m still here 26 years later, and I’m still learning English at Union.”
He earned degrees in ESL, nursing, and business at Union, followed by two master’s degrees from Doane University in leadership and international finance. Along the way, he’s worked as a nurse, business owner, and director of operations and leadership at Empire Electric. A true life-long learner, his varied career means he is as comfortable working with wiring, plumbing and drywall as he is with patients in a hospital or executives in a board room. “I try to learn everywhere I go,” he said. “Whether it’s leadership or pulling wire on a job site.”
Souza stayed in Lincoln because he fell in love with the community, its sense of safety, and its people. Now he gets to share his love of Union with a new generation. His daughter, Giovanna, is a freshman this year at Union while his son, Daniel, attends College View Academy. “I’ve been teaching Sabbath school since Giovanna was two years old, and now I walk around campus and see a lot of those same kids,” he said. “What I want most is to get these kids engaged with alumni. I want them to learn what it means to be Union alumni before they graduate.”
As he prepares for the upcoming Alumni ReUnion in April, Souza is grateful to be inheriting a well oiled machine from Peggy Carlson who served as alumni activities director for the last five years. In a shuffle of job descriptions within the Advancement Office, he will also take over leadership of other major events, including Parents Weekend and the Community Appreciation Breakfast.
For Souza, event planning is more than meal tickets and booking speakers. He is drawn to creating opportunities for meaningful human connections. “It’s important to have speakers, food and activities, but that’s not why people come to ReUnion,” he said. “They come to see each other.”
“My goal is to find ways to get this new generation involved so that by the time they turn 40 or 50, those relationships with Union and each other are still deep and meaningful,” he continued. “I want to find ways to bring everyone together, young and old.”