Marcel Van Hattem

An alumni of Students For Liberty, Marcel van Hattem was elected councilman in his city of Dois Irmão at the age of 18 in 2004. Born into a family of entrepreneurs, he often heard his parents talk about the difficulty of doing business in Brazil. Through these discussions, he believed that running for public office would give him the opportunity to change the bureaucratic policies that were hampering business. Yet, in October 2018, Marcel was elected to National Congress as a pro-liberty candidate, with nearly twice the votes of his nearest competitor. His journey back to political life as a candidate who refused public funding for his campaign is a testament to the impact of the SFL community.