CHICAGO — Joabe Barbosa used to tell people his appetite for exploration drove his quest to become the first person to run every street in the city of Chicago.

Now, after learning his F-1 student visa status might force him to leave the place he has called home since 2022 and return to his native Brazil, he recognizes it has always been the sense of community compelling him to keep moving.

“I’m not born in Chicago, I haven’t lived in Chicago for five years,” Barbosa said. “But I love Chicago more than people who have lived in Chicago for over 50 years.”

Since he began running in August 2024 to rehabilitate after an injury, he has traversed 85% of more than 4,000 miles of Chicago’s streets, he said, tracking his progress on an app. By late last year, he knew he could complete his ambitious project this spring. Barbosa, 25, was also on track to earn his doctoral degree in psychology from Roosevelt University by 2027.

But last week, he went unmatched for a clinical internship program, the essential next step toward his degree. Without the year-long clinical internship, which functions similar to a singular course, he cannot graduate, he said.

While technically he could stay in the U.S. next year if he decides to complete another unpaid training practicum, the added costs and lack of financial aid available to international students makes it unaffordable for him and his family, he said.

“There’s not much support for international students,” Barbosa said. “It’s like ‘if you match, great,’ but if not you have to go home.”

Courtney Kibble, the director of Barbosa’s clinical psychology program at Roosevelt, said going unmatched for a clinical psychology internship is increasingly common. The Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers, which handles the matching process, estimated more than 600 of 4,662 students nationally would end up “displaced” in this year’s match cycle.

For international students like Barbosa, the odds are even worse. Around a third of all internships have citizenship requirements barring candidates from outside the U.S. from being selected, Kibble said.

“He’s an incredibly heartfelt student and he’s going to be an amazing psychologist,” she said. “It’s unfortunate that this year has not worked out in a way that is going to allow him to keep on that path right now.”

Having risen to somewhat of a local stardom since he began posting videos of his runs across Chicago, Barbosa took to social media Sunday to discuss his situation and the “harsh reality” of immigration as he traversed Hermosa on foot.

Through tears, he showed his nearly 50,000 Instagram followers the sunset via video, telling them “everything looks more beautiful” knowing he plans to leave the city in July.

“So many good moments here in Chicago,” Barbosa said as he wiped his eyes. “People here have treated me so well.”

While he said there is a “slim possibility” he could find an internship site or sort out his financial concerns before he departs, he expects to leave after his current academic year ends.

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s website, students have 60 days to leave the U.S. after completing their program. Should Barbosa have to leave, he will try to match again next year.

But if he goes unmatched again, it would be hard to acquire a visa to return, he said.

His father, Joel Barbosa, started a GoFundMe on his son’s behalf with the goal of covering his relocation costs to Brazil, future application fees and expenses for the upcoming year. As of Wednesday afternoon, the page raised $5,375 of its $8,000 goal.

Many of Barbosa’s followers know him for his unusual feats like holding the Guinness World Record for the fastest visits to every CTA station or sprinting through the United Center during a Bulls game.

He jumped into Lake Michigan in 10-degree weather, ran a half marathon in full soccer attire and recently completed the Shamrock Shuffle while holding a bottle filled with water from the green-dyed Chicago River.

For him, that same element of joy and connection he finds in these stunts made him want to pursue psychology in the first place. He admits he is still not sure what he wants to be when he grows up, though.

“It would be easier if I knew what I wanted to do with my life,” Barbosa said. “(I will) potentially use my degree, potentially just get paid to run cities through sponsorships or something like that.”

He plans to complete his yearslong journey to run every street on June 14, an occasion he invited everyone in the city to join via his Instagram account. He told followers to show up wearing Chicago flags as a sign his mission is more about community than it is about him.

For Matthew Plese, a 37-year-old West Town resident who first met Barbosa in September and earned a world record alongside him, the long-awaited moment is worth skipping a bachelor party for.

A longtime distance runner, Plese sought out the “niche community” of “run-every-streeters” on Strava and Instagram, finding a close friend in Barbosa.

Aside from their love for exploration, the pair share a similar mission: showing others that every neighborhood in the city has something to offer.

Plese said people tell them they “can’t leave the Loop” because running elsewhere is too dangerous.

“We just think that’s absurd,” he said.

Because he is often busy with his education at Roosevelt, Plese said Barbosa often runs in the middle of the night. He recalled one time last year when the 25-year-old ran a half marathon somewhere on the South Side, then slept on a bench before running back.

Nearing his final run and preparing to leave Chicago, Barbosa said his favorite neighborhood is Englewood, but every run is his favorite run. He hopes through his videos, he inspired his followers to step outside their comfort zone and explore new parts of the city.

“You can go anywhere in Chicago and you’ll be safe and you’ll be loved,” he said.

____

©2026 Chicago Tribune. Visit at chicagotribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.