Grad student running every Chicago neighborhood must leave with visa expiring

Despite not being from Chicago, content creator and student Joabe Barbosa is perhaps one of its biggest cheerleaders.

“Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve been hugged by this city,” he said.

Born in Brazil and raised in England, he moved here in 2022 to pursue his dreams of becoming a psychologist.

Along the way, he started running. Everywhere. Rain, snow, or shine. Barbosa began to document his running journey on social media, and has gained thousands of followers.

He’s often recognized, as he runs everywhere draped in a Chicago flag.

From Englewood to Edgewater, he uses his platform to celebrate all 77 neighborhoods in his adopted home, and aims to run every street in the city, something he continues to make progress on. He’s set to finish in June.

“I don’t even have a Chicago accent. Just the fact that Chicago has received me with open arms. The people of Chicago have been so nice,” he said.

He even set a new Guinness World Record in 2025 for running to every single CTA station in under nine hours, something he documented on social media.

“So many good moments in Chicago. People have treated me so well,” he said, wiping away tears, while announcing on his Instagram page he soon will need to leave.

He’s a graduate student at Roosevelt University, and a setback in matching for his clinical doctorial internship means he soon will have no legal status here.

“In that moment I was distraught by the news and I still am,” he told NBC Chicago.

Roosevelt’s Associate Chair of Psychology Department Courtney Kibble explains how challenging this process, which is run by the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) can be.

“This year, APPIC noted that there were 4,662 students across the nation who participated in the match process with only 3,996 placements available for internship. This means there was a discrepancy of over 600 students seeking internship placements that just did not exist. This discrepancy has been growing over the past 4-5 years due to increasing students in doctoral programs nationwide,” she noted.

Kibble added it can be even more complex for international students like Joabe.

“On average, about 1/3 of the placements available in APPIC each year are not viable for international students. Generally speaking, federal sites such as VA hospitals or prisons do not accept international students since they have requirements for students to be citizens,” she said.

Speaking about Joabe, she said he’s a “phenomenal student.”

“This is in no way is a reflection on his preparation or readiness to complete an internship and obtain his doctorate.”

Joabe, who is currently on an F-1 student visa, is exploring ways to reapply and return to Chicago. But for now, he will return to Brazil in July. DHS policy requires him to leave 60 days after completing his studies.

“Just the nature of how difficult it is for international students,” he said, noting work visas are very expensive for companies.

They have become more expensive under the Trump administration.

Before Joabe leaves, he wants to complete one more very special run; and he’s inviting the whole city to join him on June 14th downtown, wearing their “Chicago best.”

“Because June 14th is Flag Day. And so I want to invite the whole city to be there and represent Chicago,” he said.

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