For the past two years, Giancarlo Tasso ’85 MS has donated two tickets to an Ohio State football game to a new student who attends the Brazil Gateway send-off event. The ticket raffle has been a highlight of the annual event, which brings together newly admitted students from Brazil with Ohio State alumni.
"Woody Hayes always said that we should pay it forward. I am in a financial situation where I can make an incoming freshman student from Brazil happy with my great seats and let them enjoy Ohio State football from the beginning of their school life," Tasso said.
Tasso is an important part of the Brazilian alumni community. He lives in the United States and has been a member of the board of governors of the Alumni Club of Brazil since 2022. He and his wife, Eileen Tasso, connect with current students and other alumni and host cultural events. The Tassos hosted the “Making Buckeyes” event in 2024, where they shared their family's Buckeye recipe.
This act of kindness has allowed many new Brazilian Buckeyes to attend a football game, such as Vinicius Rodrigues, a PhD student in the College of Engineering.
“The opportunity that I received from Giancarlo to watch the game between Ohio State and Wisconsin was one of the best moments for me since being in Columbus,” Rodrigues said. “Football is one of the biggest cultural characteristics of the United States, so seeing people around me so involved in each moment of the game was fantastic. I definitely want to watch more Ohio State games and live this experience. Go Bucks!”