Skills
What These Experiences Helped Me Develop
Communication
Explaining global experiences in ways that are useful to an audience.
- situation
- At the IPSA International Symposium, I represented ISP as a presenter and participated in a panel about internationalization and professional development.
- task
- I needed to explain how students could continue developing their global experiences at UF and connect those experiences to professional skills.
- action
- I used examples such as global courses, cultural events, student organizations, and e-portfolios to make the topic concrete. During the panel, I shared my perspective as an international student and responded to questions from other students.
- result
- I delivered the presentation and contributed to the discussion, practicing how to connect personal experiences with ideas that were useful to an audience. It helped me become more deliberate about explaining what an experience taught me, rather than simply describing what happened.
Leadership
Leading an experience that made an international topic relevant to members.
- situation
- As AMA’s Director of Global and Cultural Intelligence, I led an International Marketing GBM during Marketing Week.
- task
- My goal was to help members explore how culture and market research influence marketing decisions.
- action
- I led an event that included perspectives from ALPFA UF and an activity where members developed Starbucks campaigns for different countries. The activity gave members a practical way to apply the discussion.
- result
- Members created country-specific campaign ideas, bringing cultural differences into their marketing decisions. I practiced leading an experience that encouraged participation and made an international topic relevant to students’ professional interests.
Global & Cultural Engagement
Adapting to new environments while staying connected to Brazilian culture.
- situation
- I moved from Brazil to Idaho for a six-month high school exchange with limited English, and later moved to the United States to attend UF.
- task
- I needed to communicate, form friendships, and participate in unfamiliar environments while maintaining my connection to Brazilian culture.
- action
- I used soccer in Idaho and beach volleyball at UF to connect with others. I also regularly attended BRASA events, where I could speak Portuguese and exchange experiences with Brazilian students.
- result
- Sports helped me build friendships, while BRASA helped me maintain a sense of cultural connection. These experiences taught me to approach unfamiliar environments with patience, curiosity, and a willingness to participate before I felt completely comfortable.
Critical Thinking
Questioning assumptions before applying a strategy to a different audience.
- situation
- During AMA’s international marketing event, members considered how the same brand could communicate in different countries.
- task
- I needed to help frame marketing as a decision that depends on an audience and its context.
- action
- I connected the discussion to culture and market research and used the Starbucks activity to explore why a campaign might need to change across markets.
- result
- The activity reinforced my understanding that a familiar brand does not necessarily carry the same meaning everywhere. It strengthened my habit of questioning assumptions and looking for evidence before applying a strategy to a different audience.
Career & Self-Development
Connecting my international experiences to my career and explaining their value.
- situation
- My international experiences included language learning, campus involvement, coursework, and work supporting global learning.
- task
- I needed to understand how those experiences connected to my career interests and explain their value clearly.
- action
- Through ISP, I reflected on specific examples of communication, adaptation, and leadership. I also discussed the professional value of international experiences at the IPSA symposium and advised students on e-portfolio strategy through my UFIC role.
- result
- I developed a clearer way to connect experience with evidence of skills. This portfolio is part of that process: showing what I can bring to a workplace and identifying what I want to continue learning.