USAP Brazil Profiles
We are extremely proud of their great achievements and successes. Below are the profiles of some of our Brazilian students from the Class of 2012.
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Agatha Oliveira
University of Pennsylvania '12
Agatha is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She always wanted to pursue her studies in the United States but she thought at first that she would not stand a chance coming from an underprivileged family in Rio. She has always dedicated herself to studying and was able to pass on to a very competitive Federal high school in Rio. Agatha's grades were so strong that she also received a scholarship from a magnet school to prepare her for the College Entrance Examination. Agatha would go to her regular school from 7am to 1pm and to the magnet school from 2pm to 8pm, including Saturdays. She managed to study English on her own and at school, even though the level of English taught at public schools in Brazil is basic. Nothing stopped Agatha from her thirst of knowledge. Her dreams started to become true when she was accepted to the University of Pennsylvania in September 2008 to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering.
At the University of Pennsylvania, Agatha was very involved in many student groups. During her career she was part of the Black Students League, Habitat for Humanity and the Race Dialogue Project. Today she is at her second term as the president of the Penn Brazil Club and she is also the vice-president of the University of Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Through her work at the Penn Brazil Club, she dedicates herself to raise students' awareness about the Brazilian culture, and the problems that strike the Brazilian community. Being part of the NSBE board, she dedicates herself to fulfill the mission of the organization: "To increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community." During her term as the vice-president of NSBE, she has organized a one day even in which companies, such as Microsoft and Boeing, presented workshops to college students from different universities in the area.
Agatha is graduating with a Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in computer science. After graduation she is working as a technology analyst for Goldman Sachs in New York. She also intends to pursue a Masters degree in Computer Science.
João Palacio Filho
Berea College '12
João was born in Ceara, a northeastern state in Brazil. He was selected to be one of the 25 Brazilian Youth Ambassadors in 2006, a program that is carried out by the US Embassy in Brazil. He could represent his country abroad, and such an experience made him sure of the professional field he would like to follow. After graduating from Berea College with a Business Administration degree, João plans to work for an international company and deal with different interests. He especially hopes to be able to contribute toward Brazil's economic and social development through his knowledge in business strategies and policies, as well as his experience in different markets.
Besides his interest in the financial services industry, João has been very involved in the communities he's lived in. He believes in the power of community service and is interested in continuing his involvement in service projects. Joao has been a Bonner Scholar at Berea College and has participated in and served a leader for different service initiatives focused on issues such as immigration policies, youth education, domestic violence, hunger and poverty, and local business development.
Looking at his future plans, João intends to pursue his graduate studies in international relations and international business/commerce, where he will continue to study different markets in this globalized world, where he sees opportunities to bring together all his academic and professional interests.
Luiz Fernando Iubel
Berea College '12
Luiz Fernando Iubel has always decided for an academic and professional path that allowed him to pursue a career in the sports industry. Along with his twin brother Nikolas Iubel, also a USAP member, this student from Curitiba, Parana decided to pursue his undergraduate career in an American university. In Berea College, his exceptional academic performance as well as the professional experience he acquired throughout the last years allowed him to fulfill his dream of working with professional sports and to be accepted into the Master's Program of Sports Management at the prestigious Columbia University.
In February of 2009, Luiz Fernando came to the United States for the first time to spend a month at the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, TN, as a member of the Student Leaders Program, an exchange program sponsored by the US Department of State and US Embassy in Brazil. In August of the same year, He went back to the southern US to study at Berea College, in Berea, KY. Luiz was interested in pursuing a degree while being a student-athlete, which is not possible in Brazil's university system. In Berea, Luiz is graduating with honors, majoring in Physical Education and minoring in Business Administration and Communication. He is graduating as a member of the honor societies Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Epsilon Kappa; he has also been nominated for the Dean's List in every semester as a Berea student.
During his college years, Luiz Fernando started to experiment with possible careers in the sports industry. He played soccer for the varsity team at Berea College; as a soccer player, he was recently awarded with the NAIA All-American Scholar-Athlete. He also became an assistant soccer coach in the Kentucky Rush Team and in summer camps promoted by Berea College. His interest in a professional soccer career is so serious that he went as far as attaining the "E" and "D" National License from the US Soccer Federation and the coaching certification from the Association of Professional Soccer Coaches from Sao Paulo, in Brazil. In addition, he became a sports writer at the college newspaper, called The Pinnacle. Finally, Luiz did a marketing internship with a professional Brazilian soccer club, Coritiba FC. After the internship, he was offered a full-time position at Coritiba, where he is going to work for the next year.
In 2013, after getting work experience in the sports industry at Coritiba, Luiz will go to New York City to study Sports Management at the Columbia University Master's Program. With all of the theoretical and practical background mentioned above, Luiz hopes to be able to work for the development of the sports society in Brazil.
Luiz intends to work for the growth of Brazil's sports industry, especially because of two major upcoming sports events: the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympic games. Luiz believes that it is necessary that these events leave an important legacy.
Níkolas Francisco Iubel
Stanford University '12
Commitment is a defining word when it comes to describe Níkolas's academic path. From Math Olympics to dance classes to research on electronic voting machine, Níkolas has been a dynamic student since the very beginning of his education. This talented young man comes from Curitiba, Paraná state, the largest city in Southern Brazil. After a demanding Entrance Examination, Níkolas was approved to study at the Curitiba’s Military School, a top school in the country. He was a highlight during all the seven years he studied there. When he was 12, he was chosen to take part in a nationwide TV program called "Grade A Student". Some years later, he represented his state in the Youth Ambassadors program sponsored by the US Embassy in Brazil.
Due to his outstanding performance at military school, Níkolas earned the right to appear on the school's chart of honor. In half a century the school has been in existence, he was just the fourth student who was given such an honor, the highest ever given to a student at the school. He saw his lifetime efforts rewarded when he was offered a full-ride scholarship at one of the best universities in the world, the prestigious Stanford University.
Before he was offered a scholarship at Stanford, Níkolas attended the two best colleges of Paraná State concurrently and was able to accomplish outstanding grades at both. At the same time, he volunteered his time and energy to social projects in his community. However, his dream was to pursue the best academic experience available worldwide. His willingness to push the limits of knowledge perfectly matched the entrepreneurial spirit of Stanford University, where he intends to double major in Engineering and Mathematics, with some possible minors.
After graduating, Níkolas is going to follow an academic career, working as both a professor and researcher, since he truly believes in the importance of education as a way to improve people's quality of life. His Stanford experience begins in the Fall of 2008.
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