Could you tell us about your journey to UCLA?
My journey at UCLA was marked by a great deal of learning and development, both personally and professionally. Personally, I began to interact with people from different countries and locations in the United States, broadening my perspective on cultures and the world. Professionally, I had contact with excellent professionals responsible for the production and dissemination of knowledge in different fields of knowledge, which encouraged me to always dedicate myself more to my studies.
Can you speak a little bit about your career and how it has progressed since graduating from UCLA?
When I began my Ph.D at UCLA, I was a civil servant at the Brazilian Ministry of Education, on a study leave. Upon my graduation, I returned to Brazil and continued to work at the Ministry of Education for a few years, but then chose to work as a professor and researcher at Fundação Getulio Vargas, one of the world’s best think tanks (2020 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report). Since then, I've been conducting research for institutions such as the World Bank and UNESCO.
How do you think UCLA prepares students to fill positions that have a global reach and influence?
UCLA has two characteristics that favor the training of professionals to impact globally: academic rigor and a diverse educational community. The courses in the graduate programs focus on discussing topics relevant to contemporary society, on up-to-date content, and on scientific rigor. The professors and students are quite diverse in terms of gender, age, race/ethnicity, sexual identity, nationality, and other factors. This creates a rich environment for exchange and production of knowledge.