My Letter to UC Berkeley—From Brazil

I still vividly remember waking up to the crisp early mornings at International House, right next to the stadium at UC Berkeley. I’d head down for breakfast with my German roommate, often catching myself wondering if it was all really happening. It’s been a few months since I returned to Brazil, but that experience continues to bring a genuine smile to my face.

The friendships I built, the incredible places I had the chance to explore and the unforgettable memories I made are things I will carry with me for a lifetime. One day, I know I’ll go back to visit that wonderful place that felt like home.

Even now, seeing UC Berkeley emails pop up in my inbox, updates on the sports season or random Panda Express discounts fills me with nostalgia and makes me miss it all the more.

Life Before Berkeley

Before crossing continents to study at UC Berkeley, I was fully immersed in the vibrant academic and professional life at Ibmec São Paulo, where I am majoring in economics. Ibmec—short for Instituto Brasileiro de Mercado de Capitais (Brazilian Institute of Capital Markets)—is known for its strong focus on finance and openness to early professional development—something I took full advantage of.

From the moment I started, I knew what I didn’t want to do. That clarity—rare and powerful—gave me room to explore what truly mattered. In my first semester, I founded Ibmec Green Finance, a student organization focused on green finance and consulting projects related to companies’ carbon footprints, ESG practices and the carbon credit market. Our initiative was recognized and funded by the European Union, a validation that still motivates me today.

At the same time, I started my first internship at Terravista Capital, working with credit risk and judicial asset pricing. That experience was deeply personal: My mother, who came from humble beginnings in Belo Horizonte, transformed our lives through her own career, which she began at 16 years old in the financial markets. Her journey inspired me to get my hands dirty early on. I didn’t want to wait for the “right” moment to start building mine. Thankfully, Ibmec is one of the few top-tier institutions in Brazil that allows students to take on full-time internships from the beginning. This flexibility was a decisive factor in choosing my university—it matched my belief that learning happens fastest when theory meets real life.

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Drawn to Berkeley

Growing up, studying in the United States always felt like a dream, something just out of reach—until it wasn’t. I initially decided to stay in Brazil for my undergraduate studies to build a strong foundation close to home. But when the opportunity to apply for the Berkeley Global Access (BGA) Program came up, I knew this was the right time to experience that dream firsthand—not just as a tourist, but as a student, a peer, a future leader in a world-class academic environment.

What drew me to Berkeley wasn’t just the prestige (though that’s undeniable); it was the combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial spirit and cultural diversity that makes it a unique place to study and live. Berkeley doesn’t just educate—it transforms. BGA offered the rare chance to choose courses across disciplines, engage with passionate professors and immerse myself in a community of thinkers and doers from around the world.

I saw Berkeley as the perfect place to refine the finance knowledge I had, develop leadership skills and step out of my comfort zone. And it delivered far more than I could have imagined.

My Course Load

During my Fall 2024 semester at Berkeley, I carefully selected courses that would push my understanding of finance and broaden my perspective as a global citizen.

The courses I took were:
Introduction to Finance with professor Stephen Etter, who played rock music before every lecture and made even complex topics engaging and unforgettable. This class sharpened my technical skills in valuation, capital markets and financial decision-making, critical for my work today at Neo Investimentos, where I intern in private equity. Professor Etter’s way of teaching made me realize how much I enjoy connecting the dots between theory and real investment cases. My current work, where I analyze acquisitions and model cash flows, is directly influenced by those lectures. His guidance and practical teaching approach helped me build the confidence and skills I needed to land this internship, a position I’m still in and loving. This internship became the bridge between what I learned at Berkeley and what I’m applying every day.

International Trade explored the mechanisms and policies that shape global commerce and gave me a deeper understanding of economic interdependence, crucial for someone who aspires to work on cross-border investments.

Berkeley Changemaker: Ethical and Effective Entrepreneurship in High Tech is an engineering course where we debated about ethics in the work environment and solved real-world cases. This course gave me the language and structure to pursue something I’ve always cared about: making finance a part of the solution, not the problem, when it comes to sustainability.

Brands and Sustainability, led by the amazing professor Judy Hopelain, where we analyzed how companies build purpose-driven brands while tackling sustainability and ethics.

Leadership Studies was an eye-opening experience where I studied alongside the U.S. Air Force cadets, learning about leadership through the lens of service, duty and integrity. This class reminded me that discipline, respect and emotional intelligence are as essential as spreadsheets and internal rate of returns (IRRs). These values are part of who I am and who I want to become.

Every class I took at Berkeley added a layer to my academic and personal development as an economics student and, more importantly, as a future entrepreneur and finance professional.

Berkeley and Ibmec both prioritize academic rigor and real-world applications, but the environment at Berkeley is different in intensity, diversity and collaboration. At Ibmec, I’m used to learning fast and applying concepts directly in internships. But at Berkeley, the interdisciplinary approach, the global peer group and the emphasis on discussion over memorization completely changed how I learn.

There was also a strong culture of intellectual openness. Students didn’t just come to class for grades—they came to debate, explore, challenge each other and build things. That energy is contagious. You leave every classroom thinking bigger.

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Exploring Beyond the Classroom

Outside of the classroom, I made sure to live every second. I joined IMLeague with BRASA, our Brazilian student organization, where we not only played hard but bonded deeply. It was a way to bring a piece of home with me while connecting with other Brazilians facing the same challenges and joys of being abroad.

I also became close friends with Jan, my German roommate at the International House. That kind of friendship—spontaneous, deep and cross-cultural—is something I’ll cherish forever.

I traveled to Los Angeles to watch the Golden State Warriors play against the Los Angeles Lakers, and explored iconic spots like Yosemite National Park, the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown Berkeley.

My top 5 things to do while at Berkeley were:

1. Watching the sunset from The Big C
2. Getting the artichoke slice at Artichoke Basille's Pizza
3. Attending sporting games at the Chase Center (San Francisco)
4. Eating a meal at International House
5. Riding a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge

My Career Aspirations

In five to 10 years, I see myself starting my own company—perhaps a business that merges finance, sustainability and impact. I want to create something meaningful. Something bold.

I want to take everything I’ve learned—at Ibmec, at Berkeley, at Neo—and build something that moves the world forward. Not just for profit, but with purpose.

So where can you find me? Hopefully in the headlines. Or better yet, building something that’s quietly changing lives.

My Advice to You

Say yes! Say yes to that new class, new person, new event, new city. You’ll only regret the things you didn’t try. Don’t come just to study—come to live. Make friends from other countries, raise your hand in class, travel on weekends and ask for help when you need it.

Bring your story, your passion and your perspective. Berkeley is a place that values authenticity. If you show up with curiosity and heart, you’ll leave with far more than academic credit—you’ll leave transformed.