Former San Francisco State University student Paul Medeiros was in the process of completing his master’s degree at SFSU when he gave one of his professors a phone call on his drive home from work.

“I just remember calling her on my drive home, and I’m like, ‘Dr. G, I’m so miserable. I’m not enjoying this job. What should I do?’” said Medeiros, who worked for San Francisco Recreation and Parks at the time. “She was like, ‘Don’t forget your passion. Your passion is always teaching.’ She’s the one that encouraged me to go for my teacher credential and now I’m actually a full-time P.E. teacher here in San Francisco.”

Claudia Guedes, an SFSU Kinesiology professor who holds a doctorate in the subject, has been at the university since 2005 after moving from her home country of Brazil. To many, Guedes is not just an educator but also a pillar of support for students in every aspect of their lives.

“Of the professors I’ve worked with, she is hands down someone who not only brings passion to her work but to her students as well and is there for them,” said Alexandria Ferrey, a former student of Guedes. “She was there to help guide me through some personal things I was experiencing and it was really nice to have that person to connect to.”

She’s described as someone who is not only extremely knowledgeable and passionate but also provides unflappable support to students navigating any personal or academic challenges.

Susan Zieff, another SFSU Kinesiology professor, has worked with Guedes for nearly 20 years and considers her a close colleague and friend.

“She’s a very unique thinker,” Zieff said. “The way that she sees the world and how she sees ideas and projects is inspirational but also so intriguing and interesting that it sets us off in important directions to discover new projects and new ideas.”

Guedes began her teaching career at the University of São Paulo, where she discovered her desire to teach physical education at a young age.

“When I was a child, we did not have P.E. in elementary school,” Guedes said. “When I got this very good teacher at the end of middle school, I said, ‘Wow, there’s a lot we can do,’ and actually, I’m lacking abilities or skills that I didn’t have. So then I thought I want to be a P.E. teacher.”

The low-quality physical education classes in her home country of Brazil, compared to classes in the United States, was just another reason why the inspiration to become a physical education professor grew that much stronger.

“There is a movement in physical education in Brazil that’s completely against sports, so that the kids should not be initiated in sports,” Guedes said. “Here in the U.S., even though there is no defense or advocacy for sports itself, every elementary school has a physical education teacher developing the basic motor skills as we say in academic language. A progressive work towards an individual who will enjoy being physically active because enjoyment comes with knowledge.”

In addition to her work in the classroom, Guedes has also found success writing books. Her book, “Mulheres a Cesta: Historia do Basquetebol Feminino no Brasil – 1892-1971,” is the first book published in Brazilian women’s basketball history.

“Nobody had written about women’s basketball in Brazil,” Guedes said. “Nobody interviewed those players. They were still alive, and I interviewed all of them, and now there is a book.”

The book, now in its third edition, has since been made into an award-winning documentary titled “Mulheres a Cesta.” The documentary has gone on to win film festival awards in Brazil, Lisbon, Portugal and Milan, Italy.

“She had this idea for this work, this history of women’s basketball. Nothing had been done on it before and now that book is in the National Archives in Brazil, demonstrating how valuable a work they see that,” Zieff said. “Jumping into a new field and making a film, and having that win awards, it just shows the quality of the work that she does, actually, and how well it’s been received.”

Guedes’ latest research projects continue to revolve around women’s basketball in Brazil. Currently, she is working on a project revolving around the first women coaches of the national team in Brazil, Maria Helena Cardoso and Maria Helena Campos.

Not only does Guedes mentor her current students completing their master’s degrees and their teacher credentials but she continues to be there for her former students as well.

“She’s challenged me academically. She’s challenged me in what my purpose is in life, and what my overall goals are,” Medeiros said. “Dr. G, overall, she goes beyond a professor to be quite frank with you. I feel like we’re closer ever since I graduated. Dr. G knows my family. She knows my partner and I consider Dr. G as someone part of my family.”