Starting out at CVTC, Geraldo admits to being a bit scared. Everything he was experiencing was a first: learning a new language, living abroad, and starting a new school.

Originally from Brazil, he decided to make a change after his sister, who was already living in the Chippewa Valley, recommended he come to live here and enroll in CVTC's English Language Learning (ELL) classes.

He flourished in the program and said it was a great experience because they taught the language and the culture. He also credits his classmates, saying he and the other adults from different countries came together and created a community inside the class.

His parents had also moved to the area, and the opportunity to create a family business presented itself. With his sister's investment and previous business experience, Geraldo's marketing and technical skills, and a generations-old recipe from his parents, Montebelo was founded. The family is originally from a mountainous region of Brazil, and the company name means "beautiful mountain" in Portuguese.

Creating healthy, delicious, traditional Brazilian cheese breads now found at many grocery stores, markets, and co-ops locally, Geraldo and his family have been overwhelmed by the support they have received from the community.

Now back at CVTC as a student in the IT - Software Developer program, Geraldo says the College was and is the perfect fit for him, and the plan is to continue to grow personally, with the business, and as a family!