By Dev NairPaulo loved flight and planes more than anyone else I know. He had such a love of flying that was clear that is what he was destined to do. At a time in school where nobody had any idea of the direction of their lives, Paulo was unique — aviation would be his path, and there was never any doubt.I remember him talking about how he got interested in flying, fascinated by machines flying in the sky as a kid and awed by the pilots’ aura around the airport. That love stayed with him through high school. He tinkered with model planes, flew RC helicopters, oh and he had his pilot’s license before most people had their driver’s licenses. When I asked him how he managed to get the practice in order to pass the licensing exam, he said he didn’t want to spend the money for expensive hours of flying lessons. But he didn’t give up. He prepared by sitting in his room visualizing the aircraft controls from the manual, flicking imaginary switches, and going over the checklists and protocols over and over.Paulo was a great example of how sustained perseverance and passion can lead to extraordinary results. After our time together in high school, he went on to continue his flight training at OSU, serving as a flight instructor and was well on his way to becoming a pilot. Then the diagnosis happened, but Paulo was ever determined. He was always positive and encouraged those around him to be positive despite the news. And with a truly herculean effort, Paulo was able to finish his coursework and graduated from OSU all while undergoing depleting chemotherapy treatment. His family fortunately was able to secure free flights to his out-of-state treatment, and he really enjoyed those flights sitting next to the pilot. Looking back, I am glad Paulo was able to continue his treatment and he still provided a positive spark in our lives through the troubling times.In Paulo’s spirit, we aspire to bring the same level of passion and enthusiasm to Paulo’s Points and hope to provide many patients with transportation so they can access their treatment. We have already assisted several patients in Arkansas and are looking to serve many more in the future. Thank you to everyone who has supported us thus far, and we will continue to work on closing the gap so that anyone can get to his or her treatment anytime.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=6e3d5c95a02a" width="1" height="1" alt="">

An Inspiration

By Brok Stafford<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/708/1*z5GAUQL-Ar3Kz_IvpAFiQg.jpeg" /><figcaption>Paulo and me at the Two Rivers Bridge, Little Rock, AR</figcaption></figure>Paulo Claudio was a great friend of mine who bravely lost his battle to cancer a little more than a year ago. I met Paulo during my most formative years, and we developed an everlasting relationship. During those years, Paulo and I were part of a tight knit group of friends. We all fed off of each other’s spirit and, through that positive feedback loop, developed unbreakable bonds and our own principles of life. Each member has left a unique imprint on me and Paulo was not an exception. Paulo stood as a role model for resolve, humility, and authenticity.<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*nK6z-lQfm0PrCYIg9DIfCg.jpeg" /><figcaption>Ian Stone, Ashraf Moursi, Omer Alymahani, me, Nick Birkett, and Paulo Claudio at Greers Ferry Lake</figcaption></figure>Most people knew Paulo for his lifelong formidable resolve. He was set on flying planes from a young age, and he never strayed from his goal. I first encountered that resolve in high school. I had just quit the football team and began hanging around more studious kids. Paulo was one of those kids. His academic determination sparked a fire in me and also inspired me in times of academic failure. After spending some time with Paulo, I began to long for a passion similar to his for aviation. I eventually found that passion in my first computer science class and looked towards Paulo’s commitment to aviation as a model.Although Paulo usually had a serious demeanor, he was always quick to crack a smile or admit he was wrong. I remember hanging out at Jackson Beard’s place one weekend. Jackson just bought some top of the line laser tag guns. We all grabbed a gun and began bickering about boundaries, teams and other rules. During the squabble, my gaze wandered to the window. My focus had left the present and gone into the recesses of my mind. That didn’t last long, as I quickly came back to my senses when I spotted someone lurking near the bushes. It was Paulo with his gun locked and loaded, looking like he was James Bond sneaking into an evil mastermind’s hideout. Somewhere in between the argument, Paulo had snuck outside and thought we were starting the game immediately. Everyone turned to look. We all broke out in laughter and went outside to poke fun at him. At first confusion was on his face, then he began laughing with us. He expressed no embarrassment, anger or frustration. Paulo tended to always act in a serious manner, but he never put his ego above others. He truly was a humble guy.I always knew Paulo was an authentic person, but I didn’t fully realize that quality until the tail end of his life. I can recall the day Paulo let me and his close friends know of his cancer diagnosis. I was devastated, concerned and feeling awoken to the uncertainty of life. My mind was moving at light speed for the next few days, but one thought I had in particular stuck with me, “If I were in Paulo’s shoes, what would I do and how would I act?” I think I would really kick my butt into gear and start doing some of the things I’ve always dreamed of. I would be less timid in my actions and shift my focus to spirituality. I realized I wasn’t being genuine to my own self. On the other hand, over the next few months I witnessed Paulo’s authenticity to himself. Conversations with him, both digital and physical, continued to be similar to those we all had with him before the diagnosis. Cancer barged into his life, and he didn’t even flinch. He had always been operating his life the exact way he wanted and didn’t have a need to change. Paulo’s authenticity continues to astound me, and I will always strive for what he had.Paulo left an impact on the world that continues to deepen. The traits he exemplified radiated an aura that affected so many people. Paulo was the eldest of his family, and I’m the eldest of mine. Being the eldest comes with the responsibility of being an outstanding role model and trailblazer. Paulo fulfilled those responsibilities to the fullest, and I will continue to strive for the same.<a href="https://paulospoints.org/">https://paulospoints.org/</a><figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/750/1*7EVI_qHhO1QBfrsv1jdj0Q.png" /><figcaption>Me and Paulo at Greers Ferry Lake</figcaption></figure><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=bf9223bc6af0" width="1" height="1" alt="">

Remembering a Role Model

By Ashraf Moursi<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/360/1*EuYNBlVBLOlKfvOX9LOEuQ.jpeg" /><figcaption>Ashraf and Paulo flying over Little Rock, AR</figcaption></figure>It really is such a strange feeling, even a year to this day after saying goodbye to such a close friend, to be writing something like this. However, in a way, I am finding that it is not difficult for me to put on paper the great memories I have of Paulo. This is because of how strong they are and how important they are personally to me and my life. In fact, I will have to do my best to keep it to a readable length due to just how much I could share. It is easy or desirable for anyone to do, but I find it comforting being able to show in a small way how he truly impacted me and undoubtedly so many others.It does not need to be said that Paulo was man of conviction. His goals were so clear to himself and others and it was obvious that nothing would deviate him from this path, not even the incredible obstacles that were placed in front of him later on. I really believe that he accomplished much more than your average person could dream of accomplishing in the short amount of time he had on Earth. Not only from a professional standpoint, but also from a personal and social one. What better kind of person to have by your side during such formative, nebulous years such as high school and college than someone who seemingly had everything figured out (he did, of course). While the lot of us were worrying about what we were doing on the weekend, Paulo was putting in long hours at the hobby store, practicing his flying skills with RC planes, or preparing for the next history exam. And that being said, he would still find time to hang out with the guys (including those involved in this very project), and share with us his passion for flying.When Paulo invited our group of friends to be passengers on a small 3-seater prop plane with him as the sole pilot, there were certainly mixed feelings among some of us who were more ground-inclined. We all knew his capabilities as a pilot with many hours under his belt already and I know I could not have been more floored by the offer. At the time I was an engineering student, but I had not yet decided on a specific discipline. I was interested in planes and space, so I was thrilled to be able to have this opportunity (if you have never been in a plane like this, it is a vastly different experience to that of a commercial jet). I jumped at the offer and was the first one to show up at the small airfield where Paulo was preparing the aircraft, and I watched him go through the checklist in true awe at his expertise. It was a side of him we of course knew existed, but was so incredible to see in action. It goes without saying that flying is not a cheap endeavor yet Paulo, being the person that we all know him to be, gave us a substantial discount since we would not accept a free ride. I was lucky enough to go up with him twice and both times truly were memories that I will have for the rest of my life; not only because it was so fun for me, but it also unlocked a passion for the aerospace field within me.And now, as I type this, I am an aerospace systems engineer supporting the flight and operations of a space telescope and Paulo has been a massive inspiration throughout my pursuit of a master’s degree in aerospace engineering to where I am now. His passion, motivation, hard work, and overall gravitational energy that makes people want to achieve great things will be something I carry with me always, and will be just one of his legacies . I will forever look towards the memory of him for inspiration in all that I want to accomplish in my life, both small and great.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/high-flying-inspiration-ashraf-moursi">Original LinkedIn post</a><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=ae13f5540f8b" width="1" height="1" alt="">

High-Flying Inspiration

By Ian Stone<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/960/1*yUfW7bTMpTE_3PGlbzgujg.jpeg" /><figcaption>The following picture is a Stand Up to Cancer design from American Airlines. Paulo’s friends at OSU contacted American Airlines and now Paulo’s name is inscribed on the aircraft.</figcaption></figure>I wasn’t quite sure how to start my story of Paulo. Considering how many friends and memories he’s made at Pulaski Academy and OSU, it’s hard to limit the number of stories and memories you want to share. I think for now, I’d like to share my personal experiences from when I had first met Paulo and how he’s influenced my life.The first time I heard of Paulo was in the 9th grade. It was about halfway through the first semester of our Freshman Year of Highschool, and our friend group would usually hang out after school for about an hour before we went home. It was either <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacksonbeard/?=">Jackson Beard</a> or <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dev-nair-230465162/?=">Dev Nair</a>, but one of them started talking about a new kid named Paulo Claudio. They started mentioning how he had been excelling in all of his classes, achieving grades of 93–94%’s in his courses.I think it’s an accurate statement to say that our friend group has some smart people in it. We have all studied and strived for A’s throughout our courses but hearing Jackson and Dev talk about Paulo made me realize how high the bar could really be set. I quickly took notice of Paulo’s discipline, especially when we had the same classes. I remember when Paulo and I had AP Biology together. We were in the same group and sat next to each other. I remember watching him take notes, keeping up with the lectures each class with complete focus on what the teacher was saying and writing. What really inspired me was how consistent he was. He always brought a positive attitude and he always remained focused throughout each class.What I admired the most after meeting him was how humble and approachable he was. Not once did I ever hear him brag about his test scores or grades. I would always joke with him in our classes about the topic at hand or something completely unrelated. Despite his amazing discipline and focus, he was always willing to joke around with me and have a good laugh or two. That level of discipline and determination really influenced me, especially in College. I put a lot of time into studying throughout college, even attending pointless bonus lectures for points I didn’t really need just because I had the free time. The high bar for excellence Paulo had set in high school stuck with me and drove me to do the best I could, even if I didn’t have to. I remembered how hard he continually pushed himself to achieve his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot. Seeing his hard work pay off really motivated me to do better.During our senior year of college, Paulo informed our friend group that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. We did our best to keep up with his status and tried to visit him as much as we could while being considerate of his busy treatment and clinic visit schedule. We were positive and supportive throughout his treatment despite the circumstances. We would try and visit him at his home when we were all back home for winter or summer breaks. About a year later, we were informed that Paulo took his final flight to Heaven. When I think back to our visits with Paulo during his treatments, I loved how he was still that same person I could joke around with from high school. I loved how even in the difficult situation that he was in, he was still that same positive, humble, and approachable person I had met all those years ago.The journey that Paulo went through during his fight with cancer had a tremendous influence on my life. It opened up an entirely new perspective for me. Through all of the focus and discipline I had in College, it became easy for me to only think about the task at hand, whether that be an upcoming exam, project, or the massive amounts of stress that came along with it. Once I heard about Paulo and his situation, and once I started putting myself in his shoes it was like a switch had flipped. Exams and projects were still important to me, but their added stress and anxiety seemed to fadeaway. When I would think about Paulo and the situation he was placed in, it made me realize how much more to life there was than feeling the constant worry and stress of an upcoming final or project. I believe that this lesson extends even beyond the classroom, into my new career. After putting in long hours, or getting nowhere on a new project, I reflect back to the experiences I had with Paulo and I quickly realize that life is short. I do believe that you should strive to perform your absolute best in everything you do. But I also believe that in order to get the most out of life like Paulo did, you can’t let that added stress get the best of you.Shortly after Paulo’s final flight, I was happy to hear some of Paulo’s family members reaching out to our close friend group to create a 501(c)(3) Non-profit. This non-profit would use donated cash and points to fund the travel accommodations for cancer patients just like Paulo. The idea behind starting this actually came from Paulo. During Paulo’s treatments he had to travel out of Arkansas to larger cities for better medical treatments. With the help of charities such as <a href="https://www.angelflight.com/">Angel Flight</a> and <a href="http://www.pilotsforchrist.org/">Pilots for Christ</a>, Paulo was able to attend those treatments and visits. He wanted to start a charity in the hopes that he could help people in similar situations like him. With the help of Paulo’s mother and his close friends <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashraf-moursi-a68461119/?=">Ashraf Moursi</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dev-nair-230465162/?=">Dev Nair</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brokanstafford/?=">Brok Stafford</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacksonbeard/?=">Jackson Beard</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sangster-b49363160/?=">Alex Sangster</a>, and myself, Paulo’s vision came to life and together we launched the Paulo Claudio Foundation, Paulo’s Points for Life, on May 5th, 2020, a little over a week ago. This would have been Paulo’s 24th birthday, and I’m sure Paulo would have loved to see this charity become a reality to help others in need.When I reflect back on all of the great times I had with Paulo and my friends, it’s hard to believe that I was able to learn and take away so much from someone who was so young. Paulo exhibited characteristics that people strive for their entire lives, and I am still striving to exhibit his humbleness, his determination and discipline, and his positive attitude towards life. I’m sad that I never got to tell Paulo how much he has impacted my life, but I’m just happy we all got to spend our time with him. Paulo truly made the most out of the time he had here, and he’s impacting lives even after his final flight through Paulo’s Points. We would love to help out patients in similar circumstances as Paulo, and if you do too then I ask you to please consider <a href="https://paulospoints.org/donate">donating to our charity</a>. I hope my story gave some insight into the kind of person Paulo was, and there are many stories about any number of people’s interactions with Paulo, not just our own. For now, I think this is a great start to achieving something wonderful through Paulo’s Points.<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/paulo-claudios-impact-inspiration-myself-many-others-ian-stone/">Original LinkedIn post</a><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=1d1c5320d70d" width="1" height="1" alt="">

Paulo Claudio’s impact and inspiration to myself, and many others

By Jackson Beard<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*x1dLc0v0RN0RE8A__vapvw.png" /><figcaption>Pictured from Left to Right: Dev Nair, Max Max Mennemeier, Ian Stone, Nicholas Birkett, Jackson Beard, Paulo Claudio, Conner Locke, Jon Wyatt, Ashraf Moursi, Tony Chacko, Brok Stafford.</figcaption></figure>Hello There,I do not normally post on LinkedIn, but this is an exception. Paulo was an exception too. This is a story about Paulo Claudio, a longtime friend who inspired countless people in pursuit of his dreams of flight.During the first week of ninth grade in my Chinese class, we had to introduce ourselves. The instructor, Mr. Chen, went around the room and requested us to tell everyone what our name was, what school we were from, one of our hobbies, and why we decided to take Chinese. Since we were seated in alphabetical order by last name, I was one of the first people to go, and right behind me was someone named Paulo. I do not remember what I said my hobby was or what I said for why I took Chinese class; probably something about video games and wanting to take a language class that was not Spanish for once. What I do remember is what Paulo said. Paulo said his hobby was flying RC planes and that he took Chinese class because it would be valuable for flights to China when he becomes a commercial airline pilot. It was very clear to me at that point that he did not just have some vague idea of what he wanted to do- he had his whole career mapped out already and it was only the first week of ninth grade. I mean this kid really knew exactly what he wanted to do. In fact, I cannot remember a time when Paulo did not mention becoming a pilot while introducing himself after many years of class introductions with him.Over time, we became great friends through our shared passion for excellence, achievement, and video games. Initially, I was not very driven to achieve and excel, but over time Paulo’s dedication to being the best he could grew on me. He knew he wanted to be the top of the class in everything, not just topics which mattered for his career in aviation. Eventually, we were competing on exam and project scores for every class we took together. We would trade blows on scores and continually challenged each other to be the best we could. When possible we worked together because we knew we both had the same drive to achieve and could rely on each other to put our best effort into anything we worked on. We worked on countless projects, tackled endless challenging assignments, and actually had some fun times together as well.We both continued to take Chinese for all four years of high school, and each year Paulo and I won what we called “medals” in Chinese for being at the top of the class for a given course. Eventually, when we graduated we were both in the top 10%, and Paulo was Salutatorian. At this point, our paths diverged and Paulo went off to Oklahoma State University to obtain his flight degree and a pilot’s license while I went off to Purdue to study computers.About 4 years later, Paulo informed several of his close friends that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. We did our best to support Paulo through the many challenges that treatment poses. It was a difficult time for all of us- we were not always aware of his status, but strived to remain positive and support him along the way. A little over a year after we were told of the diagnosis, we were dismayed to hear that Paulo had taken his final flight to heaven. Of course, we grieved, but I think many of us shared the same sentiment that I felt- that he would always live on in our thoughts and memories.One thing did not change though were the friends we made along the way. When we returned from school for winter and summer break, we would all hang out and catch up. Usually we played games, got dinner, watched movies, and played sports together. Many of the “regular crew” members are pictured in the header photo for this article. We still hang out today when everyone is around, and usually we spend a lot of that time reminiscing about the incredible escapades we embarked on with Paulo and others many years ago.Why did I just recount this whole story? Well, several months later, some of those same close friends and some of his family members came together to create a 501c3 nonprofit known as the Paulo Claudio Foundation, or Paulo’s Points, with the goal of providing air travel and accommodations for cancer treatment. While Paulo was undergoing treatment, he received transportation from <a href="http://www.pilotsforchrist.org/">Pilots for Christ</a> and <a href="https://www.angelflight.com/">Angel Flight</a>, non-profits where pilots use their own time and airplanes to transport cancer patients. Paulo was inspired by this. He informed his family that he wanted to do something similar once his treatment had concluded, and through this non-profit, we hope to not only provide transportation for cancer patients in need like Paulo wanted, but also continue Paulo’s dream of flying people around the world. Through several months of business planning and website development, our vision for the non-profit finally became a reality. On Tuesday of this week, we celebrated what would have been Paulo’s 24th birthday with the launch of Paulo’s Points.I am certain that Paulo was an inspiration and a great friend for dozens of people just as he was for me. The story I wrote just scrapes the surface of how inspirational he was and how enthusiastic he was about flight and life in general. I could write dozens of pages on my interactions with Paulo, and I am sure many others can as well. If you have stories, I encourage you to share your own inspirational or even funny stories of him using #StoriesOfPaulo.I wrote this story in the hope that it not only appeals to those of you who knew Paulo and I back then, but also to those of you who did not, and if nothing else, I hope it acts as a testament to the power of lifelong friendships. I know times are tough right now, but if you were moved by my story and would like to help us achieve our mission, please consider <a href="https://paulospoints.org/donate">donating to the foundation</a>. With a donation, you can help us change lives for cancer patients just as Paulo had done for so many others. I also want to give a special shout out to my longtime friends <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brokanstafford/">Brok Stafford</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sangster-b49363160/">Alex Sangster</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-stone-b285b7105/">Ian Stone</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashraf-moursi-a68461119/">Ashraf Moursi</a>, and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dev-nair-230465162/">Dev Nair</a> for their work on this. Without their efforts, none of this would have been possible and I am glad I was able to assist with the development of Paulo’s Points. I am looking forward to what we will achieve!<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-camaraderie-changed-my-life-you-can-change-lives-too-beard/?trackingId=acCi46VmSnywLJvPmQt9pw%3D%3D">Original LinkedIn post</a><img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=3af0739900ca" width="1" height="1" alt="">

How Camaraderie Changed my Life and How You Can Change Lives Too

By The Paulo’s Points Team<figure><img alt="" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*Hb2XdvUlaTiwyWeKQA-MAA.png" /><figcaption><a href="https://paulospoints.org/">paulospoints.org</a> landing page</figcaption></figure>“We” are a team of six of Paulo’s friends who have worked together over the past 7 months to create the 501c3 non-profit and plan its online presence and branding. We developed the site and brand with Paulo’s passion for flight and Oklahoma State University in mind, and we hope that it shows. Everyone involved in the creation of Paulo’s Points knew Paulo well and will forever hold him in their hearts. Please reach out to us using our <a href="https://paulospoints.org/contact">contact us page</a> if you find any issues so we can fix them as soon as possible.On May 5th 2020, the same day this site and the organization launches, Paulo would have been 24. Through Paulo’s points, Paulo can still achieve his dream of flying people around the world. Happy 24th Birthday Paulo!Paulo was an incredibly talented young pilot who had just graduated from Oklahoma State University in May 2019. He had a lifelong dream of flying and was on the path to being a successful commercial airline pilot. Paulo was determined to reach this goal and had been pursuing flight since a very young age. For many of us, the main items we associated with Paulo were planes and his interest in flight. However, in June 2019, our dear friend Paulo Claudio died of cancer and was unable to achieve his dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot. A few months after the funeral, Paulo’s mother reached out and asked if we could help her start a foundation to support patients like Paulo who are in need of transportation and housing during treatment. While Paulo was undergoing treatment, he received support from organizations and discussed giving back in a similar way with his parents. The idea behind the foundation was to collect donations of frequent flyer miles, credit card rewards points, hotel rewards points, and even money to provide housing and transportation amenities to patients seeking care. As a team, we came up with the name Paulo’s Points through a voting process And so, by the powers vested to us by the government of the United States of America, Paulo’s Points was born as a 501c3 non-profit organization.<img src="https://medium.com/_/stat?event=post.clientViewed&referrerSource=full_rss&postId=c3ac28ac675f" width="1" height="1" alt="">

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