Exchange immersion brings together students at IMPA Tech
The Estudar Foundation took part in the initiative
8/4/2025
IMPA Tech’s Internships and Careers Center (NCE), in partnership with the Estudar Foundation, promoted an immersion on academic exchange for undergraduate students on Wednesday (8). The students had the opportunity to learn more about the Estudar 2025 Leaders program, with the participation of Beatriz Alvarenga, Lucas Pahl and Vinícius Luiz da Silva, who are part of the initiative.
The idea of the workshop was to impart knowledge about international careers and present the first steps on a journey of study abroad. In this first moment, the focus of the discussion was on planning an exchange. Topics such as choosing universities, location, financial planning, passports, language placement tests and letters of recommendation were discussed.
“We try to bring this subject up as early as possible, a debate that involves maturity so that undergraduates can achieve their professional goal,” explained Thais Correa, IMPA Tech’s Skills Development Manager.
Lucas Pahl, who holds a master’s degree from IMPA and teaches at the University of Sheffield (England), shared his personal experiences abroad with the students. The mathematician’s academic journey was marked by a post-doctorate in economics at the University of Rochester (USA) and another at the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics (Germany).
“It was a life-changing exchange, I’m very happy doing research to this day. Considering all the difficulties of an academic career, it’s a great privilege to be in charge of your own time and receive a salary that matches what you consider important. It’s fantastic,” said Pahl.
Vinícius Luiz da Silva, a computer scientist who graduated from USP (University of São Paulo), talked about his experience on the exchange in Sweden, which, according to him, involved opportunities far beyond academic exchanges.
“The exchange program ends up changing your life. I got there and did everything I could do. I ended up meeting people from different countries, I realized I had things in common with people from places I’d never heard of. This exchange was a very unique experience. I went unsure of how much English I was going to be able to learn and I came back speaking Spanish,” he said.
The guests spoke to a full and participative auditorium. IMPA Tech students took the opportunity to ask questions about the program. Lucas Fraga, who started his degree this year, said that his dream is to do an exchange program in France or Canada. The student has already started studying French with this goal in mind. “I was interested in doing an exchange during my master’s or doctorate. But with this meeting, I found it even more interesting and I’m motivated to try it while I’m still an undergraduate, maybe a sandwich. As Lucas said: ‘dip your toe in the water first’.”
Luísa Michel, also a student in the class of 2025, has already been an exchange student twice and is looking forward to another academic season abroad. “I’ve always been very interested in international opportunities and exchanges. I took an academic writing course in Los Angeles (USA) and also took part in a program that offered a 100% scholarship to China. So this is a subject I’m always very aware of. It’s great to have this conversation here at IMPA Tech. It was a very enriching experience.
The Estudar 2025 Leaders Scholarship Program, presented at IMPA Tech, is an initiative of the Estudar Foundation that offers scholarships and support to young Brazilians. The aim is for the scholarship holders to become leaders who transform Brazil.
“Don’t be scared by the challenge of studying abroad, it’s incredible. It works out in the end. If you want to be scared, do it for five minutes and then ‘go’. One step at a time and lots of collaboration,” concluded Beatriz Alvarenga, who coordinates the “Attraction for Scholarships and Studies Abroad” sector.
As a complement to the “exchange”, the NEC is developing the financial journey, which had its first meeting last Monday (7). The idea is for students to familiarize themselves with financial management, which is a fundamental part of exchange planning. The series will include two more workshops, the next of which will focus on investing and saving money. The last one will look at investment practices in more depth.
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