‘IMPA Tech was a total change of perspective for the future’, says student

Igor Roberto Alves, 19, left São José dos Campos (SP) to give mathematics a new chance in Rio de Janeiro. The first member of his family to go on to higher education, the student wasn’t always a fan of the subject, but he found IMPA Tech as a chance to change his career path. Learn more about the student’s story at #BeyondEquations.

“Life here is a paradise, it’s been a total change of perspective for the future. The aid helps us a lot and all we have to do is study, we have all the time to dedicate to what we really need now. The colleagues here are also very supportive, we have a good support network,” said Igor. IMPA Tech offers student accommodation, a food allowance and financial aid.

In the second year of his degree, the student is studying Data Science and wants to become more and more qualified. “I want to overcome my limits, because I went through some difficulties at the beginning of my degree, but I developed. I never thought I’d have a degree in mathematics on my certificate, but now I see my future. I have the best possible expectations.”

An OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Math Olympics) medalist, Igor recalls his relationship with the competition. “My career in mathematics started a little late. I took part in OBMEP for the first time in high school and got through to the second stage. I had no prospects, I didn’t know much about the Olympic branch, but I saw that I had the chance to win a scholarship,” said the student.

In his first participation, in 2022, he won a bronze medal. “I was very happy. I even questioned whether math was for me, but from then on I started studying harder because I wanted to improve my performance in the next one.” In 2023, silver came.

Initially, it was the medals that motivated the student to continue studying. “I was thinking of doing Physical Education or training to become a jiu-jitsu fighter, but OBMEP showed me that I could follow other paths and be successful. I saw that if I studied and dedicated myself, it would pay off in the future.”

From then on, Igor joined the PIC (Jr. Scientific Initiation Program) classes and also started helping his classmates. “The PIC was very important, it totally changed the scenario. In the classes, I had access to content that I didn’t have at school and then I taught my classmates what I had learned in the program. And I also had the scholarship, which helped me a lot,” he recalled.

Before coming to IMPA Tech, while waiting for the results of the selection process, the young man even started a Computer Engineering course at Unicamp. “I was a bit insecure during the selection process, because I didn’t know how well I’d done in the interview, so I didn’t get my hopes up. But when I received the e-mail, I didn’t even think twice and decided to come to IMPA Tech,” he said.

Now in Rio, Igor is happy with the change of city and life. “I came from a place, from a family, that didn’t believe in studying at all. Of course we talked about the importance of studying, but the need to work came first. I believe that being here, how it all happened, was very lucky. Now, I feel obliged to show everyone who came from the same place as me, who doesn’t believe they can make it, that it is possible. Everyone should be as lucky as me. I have a moral duty to bring these people closer and show them that studying does have a future.”

In addition to his undergraduate classes, the student takes part in the PICME (Scientific Initiation and Master’s Program), under the guidance of IMPA project scientist Lucas Nissenbaum. “PICME is very cool, one of the things that motivates me most here. We presented some chapters of the book in class and set up a project on analyzing medical images with artificial intelligence. So it’s already a taste of what we’ll be able to do in the job market,” he said.

Igor is excited to put his knowledge into practice in the future, but without leaving his studies aside. “I want to get a good education, I want to do a master’s and a doctorate first, but I certainly want to go into the corporate world. And being here at Porto Maravalley certainly makes a difference,” he concluded.

Porto Maravalley currently has 70 companies and 45 resident startups. The hub seeks to integrate students into the innovation and technology ecosystem. The idea is for students to be able to get closer and closer to companies, whether through effective participation in internships and trainee programs or events.

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