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Former Brazilian street cleaner overcomes challenges to become a lawyer, now advocates for workers’ rights.

Author profile image Carla Teles
Written by Carla Teles Published on 26/06/2026 at 22:23
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Eduardo Favaro worked as a street cleaner for the Maringá City Hall, in Paraná, while advancing his studies through Enem and Prouni, balancing public service, internship, and college until obtaining the OAB license, according to a report to Migalhas, on the topic of professional qualification, time management, and career mobility outside working hours.

The street cleaner Eduardo Favaro, a resident of Paraná, built part of his professional journey in urban cleaning for the Maringá City Hall while resuming his studies and seeking new training. The story was reported in an interview with Migalhas, published on November 26, 2025.

The case draws attention for combining urban public service, formal education, and a change in professional area. Without treating the routine as a spectacle, the journey shows how Enem, Prouni, internships, and time management can influence qualification paths for workers already in the market.

Urban public service was part of the journey

Eduardo started working as a street cleaner in 2018, after passing a public exam. According to the report to Migalhas, he first worked in street sweeping and then in collection, within the urban cleaning activities in Maringá.

The role is part of an essential service for the functioning of cities. Urban cleaning involves daily presence, route fulfillment, care for public spaces, and direct participation in maintaining the routine of neighborhoods.

Resuming studies was a practical decision

Before advancing in his education, Eduardo had interrupted his studies in adolescence to work. The resumption occurred when he learned that completing high school could result in a salary increase, according to the report.

From there, he took the Enem and achieved a result beyond his expectations. This performance opened up new study possibilities and helped reorganize his professional journey through formal education.

Enem and Prouni opened a new stage

After Enem, Eduardo applied for Prouni and was selected for higher education courses. According to Migalhas, he had options such as pharmacy, biology, and law, choosing the path he would follow based on the possibilities available at that time.

This point shows a trajectory built by successive decisions, not by a ready-made route. The main axis of the story is professional qualification, with policies for access to higher education serving as a bridge between work, study, and career change.

College and internship became part of the professional routine

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During his education, Eduardo balanced his work as a street cleaner with an internship and classes. The report states that he had to adjust his schedule at different times to maintain both professional and academic activities simultaneously.

The most appropriate reading of this passage is not to romanticize individual effort, but to observe the necessary organization for those seeking education while continuing to work. The experience combines public employment, a scholarship, an internship, and educational continuity.

Urban cleaning should not be treated as a lesser stage

Eduardo’s career change does not erase the importance of the activity he performed on the streets. The work of a street cleaner is part of the basic structure of urban functioning and remains essential for any municipality.

Therefore, the trajectory should not be viewed as abandoning a lesser role, but as a professional shift based on new educational opportunities. Urban cleaning appears as relevant public work, not as a starting point to be diminished.

Close support also made a difference

The account to Migalhas mentions the support of his mother and colleagues during the study period. This support is highlighted as an important element for maintaining educational continuity, especially during times of routine reorganization.

The presence of a close network helps to understand educational persistence. When a person works and studies, family support, encouragement in the professional environment, and access to educational programs can directly influence the completion of a stage.

Career change was a consequence of education

After completing his degree, Eduardo obtained the OAB license, a milestone mentioned in the report as a result of his academic journey. In the context of this topic, this fact appears only as the conclusion of his education, not as a discussion about a legal career.

The focus remains on the previous journey: a street cleaner from the Maringá City Hall who resumed his studies, used Enem and Prouni as access doors, went through an internship, and built a career change through formal education.

Story dialogues with professional qualification

The case of Eduardo allows for a discussion on the qualification of workers who are already in the market. Many Brazilians seek education outside of their main working hours, trying to reorganize their own trajectory without completely interrupting their income.

This discussion touches on themes such as adult education, scholarships, public service, career mobility, and permanence in higher education. The journalistic value lies less in personal drama and more in the relationship between opportunity, study, and urban work.

Enem and Prouni appear as access instruments

In the reported trajectory, Enem allowed the completion of an educational stage and Prouni opened access to higher education. These two instruments are central to understanding how Eduardo managed to advance in his education.

The story shows that access policies can alter professional paths when they meet people willing to study and minimal conditions to remain. The result does not depend on a single factor, but on the combination of opportunity, organization, and support network.

Maringá is the setting of the trajectory

Eduardo’s trajectory is linked to Maringá, in Paraná, where he worked at the City Hall and developed his professional routine. The municipality is important to contextualize the connection with urban cleaning and the local public service.

By situating the story in the city, the text avoids turning the case into a generic narrative. The character, the work, and the change of area are connected to a specific place, a public function, and an education built over the years.

A topic on work, study, and mobility

The trajectory of Eduardo Favaro shows how an urban cleaning worker can build new paths through formal education. The keyword here is not sacrifice, but qualification.

The case also raises a broader question: how many professionals working in essential services could expand their possibilities if they had more access, guidance, scholarships, and schedules compatible with education?

Do you believe that study programs for workers should be stronger in Brazil? Leave your opinion in the comments.

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Carla Teles

I produce daily content on economics, diverse topics, the automotive sector, technology, innovation, construction, and the oil and gas sector, with a focus on what truly matters to the Brazilian market. Here, you will find updated job opportunities and key industry developments. Have a content suggestion or want to advertise your job opening? Contact me: carlatdl016@gmail.com

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