In early-November Luiz Claudio Souza reached a new milestone in his career, and NAFA education marked a new milestone as well. Souza, Strategic Alliances and Channels Manager for Brazil-based fleet technology and solutions company GolSat, passed four of NAFA''s fleet information exams to become the first certified international CAFS. "Now it is time to plan (my) next step, which is to attain CAFM^® certification," Luiz said. "It is an honor to succeed on such an important and difficult exam."

Souza has been working in the fleet management field since 2002, and involved with PARAR Institute, South America's fleet organization, since 2012. "I decided to attain this knowledge through NAFA, which is the worldwide reference for fleet management." He had an enthusiastic support system backing him up and cheering him on: fellow PARAR Institute members and his peers at GolSat, who Luiz cited as being very important in his journey toward certification.

"I have created a study strategy based on the Gantt graphic (a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule), where each task was a study guide chapter and had a specific time in which to be accomplished," Luiz said of his study preparation. "In that way I could get an overview of the time needed to study until the date of the exam and follow my evolution. I also had the opportunity to go to the CAFM^® Boot Camp during NAFA's Institute & Expo in Orlando this past April. It is mandatory to keep focused on the strategy in order to achieve success."

Souza sees achieving the full CAFM^® certification to be part of a much greater goal. "I believe that success requires three stages: to learn, to act, and to share. This is the way we can change individually, and from this create better world."

Congratulations, Luiz Claudio Souza, CAFS!