From the military dream to mathematics: Manuela Ronconi’s journey

Fascinated by mathematical discoveries since childhood, Manuela Ronconi, 20, imagined her future as a military career. With life’s surprises, however, she ended up discovering IMPA Tech and seized the opportunities offered by the bachelor’s degree in Mathematics for Technology and Innovation. A student in class 2025, the young woman says she had no doubts about her choice. “I wouldn’t have done anything differently. I found myself here,” she says. Learn more about the student’s career at #BeyondEquations.

Born in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Manuela studied at Colégio Santo Agostinho, in Barra da Tijuca, where she was preparing to pursue a military career. The daughter of officers in the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), her affinity with calculus also came from her family. “My father helped me learn a lot. Ever since I was little, I loved numbers and everything came naturally. I’ve always excelled in math.”

Approval for IMPA Tech was a pleasant surprise among the possibilities that arose after high school. “I started to study very interesting things and I was especially fascinated by the practical side. I gradually adjusted my routine, balancing study and leisure. I realized that no college could offer me this structure and decided that I wanted to graduate from IMPA Tech. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and I thank God I took it,” he said.

Before she got here, the student faced periods of uncertainty and personal overcoming. During the pandemic, at the end of elementary school, she was preparing to take the EPCAR (Air Cadet Preparatory School) exam, where she intended to attend military high school.

“I wasn’t doing much at home because of the pandemic, so my father helped me study. We did a lot of old tests, with many exercises that stimulated logical thinking,” he recalls.

Her plans, however, were abruptly shattered when her father contracted Covid-19 and died two weeks before the entrance exam. Despite the sudden loss, the family encouraged Manuela to carry on. “It was very difficult, we were very close. Even so, I focused on my studies and kept training until the date of the exam.”

The effort paid off: Manuela came 7th in the women’s section of the EPCAR. However, she was not cleared for the health inspection. “I discovered that I had a back problem that would prevent me from pursuing my career. So I went on to secondary school at Santo Agostinho and continued studying hard,” she says.

In 2023, after finishing school, he decided to dedicate the following year to preparing for the entrance exam, with a focus on the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA). “I moved to the interior of São Paulo, where I lived with a friend and spent the whole year studying,” she recalls.

At the end of 2024, he won first place in the Computer Engineering course at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), where his mother was living at the time. Even though she wasn’t sure if it was the path she wanted to follow, she decided to enroll. At the same time, however, he was participating – without much expectation – in IMPA Tech’s selection process for the 2025 class.

“I was already enrolled at UFMS when the news came through. It was also at that moment that I found out that I would have access to student aid, which made me even more excited because I could move back to Rio de Janeiro,” she says. Students on the bachelor’s degree have access to student accommodation, a food allowance and financial aid.

Today, after a year on the course, Manuela has no doubt that she made the right decision for higher education. “I spent most of my life thinking I would be in the military or be an engineer. When I came here, it was incredible. I’m part of the second graduating class and I’ve met people from all over Brazil, with very different realities and incredible opportunities. I arrived with many uncertainties, but today I can say that I love my college, the facilities, the way of teaching and the assessments. I like everything about IMPA Tech.”

For the next few semesters, the student plans to focus on Data Science, especially with an eye on opportunities in the job market. In this process, she has the support of the Careers and Internships Center (NCE).

“The work of the NCE is one of the proofs that IMPA Tech cares a lot about the success of its students. From the first lectures I attended, I already felt that this was where I belonged. They do everything they can to help us grow. The lectures and one-to-one meetings are excellent,” he says.