RAFAEL RIBEIRO '97

As Assistant General Counsel for Global Ethics and Compliance for The Walt Disney Company, Rafael Ribeiro spends a lot of time in the air. From his home in Los Angeles, California, he finds himself traveling frequently to manage several legal teams in both North and South America. “At the peak during my career, I’d say I sometimes had 200 travel days in a year,” says Ribeiro. “Currently, I work on everything from anti-corruption to trade regulatory matters for The Walt Disney Company, and I recently traveled to Buenos Aires to check in with our team there.”

But travel is nothing new to Ribeiro. As a kid, he moved to Memphis from Curitiba, a large city in the south of Brazil, when his father was offered a position at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. That’s a tough move for any young student, but a passion for soccer afforded him an easy opportunity to connect with his peers in Memphis, and eventually created a path for Ribeiro to attend Christian Brothers High School.

“I met with Coach Didier Aur, who is a fellow Brazilian, and his dad actually worked with mine at St. Jude,” Ribeiro says. “I started practicing with their varsity team when I was still in 8th grade at St. Dominic’s, and that’s what really brought me over to Christian Brothers.”

Soccer remains one of Ribeiro’s passions to this day. “I actually met up with Coach Aur, and some of my former classmates, to play when I was in Memphis for Thanksgiving last year.” But beyond the fulfilling sports career he had during his four years at CBHS, he remembers the friendship with his teammates, and the academic rigor in the classroom that laid the foundation for his ability to excel at the highest levels of the legal world.

“I was always interested in public speaking and advocacy, and got the chance to pursue that through Model UN at CBHS,” Ribeiro recalls. “But what I really benefited from was the discipline, the work ethic, the focus that the Brothers instilled in us, which I consider the greatest gift they gave me. Brother Joel and Brother Chris were very important to my development during my formative years.”

Reflecting on his time in the classroom, Ribeiro can never forget the experience he had with English instructor Joe Baker. He credits 11th grade AP Literature, specifically, as one of the standout experiences during his time at CBHS.

“This isn’t news to anyone who knows me, but Joe Baker’s class was a life changing experience for me,” he says. “He really fostered my love of literature, reading, and critical thinking. And that’s been crucial for my career; as lawyers, it’s what we do: read, write, and think.”

Thinking about his experiences at CBHS, Ribeiro is adamant that he wants other students to have access to the same opportunities that he had growing up, both academic and sporting. His monthly donations to the school, he hopes, will be able to help other students realize that future.

“My approach is to foster an ability to give back to underserved communities,” he says. “I signed up to donate monthly and they can take it off my credit card, which is easy. When I contribute, it’s to help an endowment the school has to provide financial aid for folks who otherwise may not be able to attend. I appreciate the focus, and that it allows me to maybe play a small part in creating these possibilities for others.”

For Ribeiro, it’s the best way to honor the education that has fueled his successful career in the legal field. “The discipline and work ethic they give us,” he says. “I marvel at the sheer breadth of the work I do now, for a global entity that has so many moving pieces and creates memories for so many people. The Brothers and faculty truly did instill in me the ability to excel in that kind of environment, and it’s still what I thank them for the most."