The story of the women behind the Michaelis dictionary

The Michaelis Sisters

​​A major milestone for women's empowerment.    On July 6th, 1849, Henriette Michaelis was born in Berlin. Two years later, on March 15th, Carolina Michaelis, her sister, was welcomed to the family.  The duo would soon make history, inspiring generations for decades after their death.  

At a time when female presence was not allowed in the academic world, the youngest of the siblings, a German linguist, challenged the odds and became the first woman to teach at a Portuguese university. With the willpower to promote greater educational opportunities for women and children in Europe, the romanist, alongside her sister - a German philologist, romanist and lexicographer - dedicated her life to working on projects like the Michaelis dictionary.

To honor their devoted times throughout the years, on Carolina´s 170th birthday the Michaelis Foundation with the support of Editora Melhoramentos will donate 170 bilingual School dictionaries to students of selected communities from all around the world. “By helping people, the way that she and her sister did for their entire life, we wish to carry out their spirit of giving to others and keep their beautiful story alive”, aspires the founder of the non-profit organization Jefferson Michaelis.

The foundation has been providing social inclusion and bilingual STEM education throughout the years through projects like Science Days, Science Days Challenge and Simulation Exploration Experience (SEE). 

By working together, we intend to continue to inspire excitement and enthusiasm within the world’s youth about STEAM and how accomplishments in these fields have – and will continue to – revolutionize the way we live. (Carla Michaelis, Celebrating Global Thinking Initiative Project coordinator)
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- Luma Keily
International Correspondent

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