When did you come to the ELP?
I had the opportunity to participate in the ELP during the summer of 2024, between July 8th and 26th. Before that, I had never traveled to a different country before.
Why did you come to the ELP?
Among around 180,000 applications for the USA Summer Experience scholarship at Santander Open Academy, I was selected to live this wonderful ELP experience, with opportunities to meet new people, new places and all this greatly improving my English.
“Now I can talk, study, and work with anyone in English and I am sure that this has opened new horizons in my career, in addition to having greatly expanded my network.”
What goals have you reached?
Thanks to ELP I was able to improve my level of English, feeling more prepared now to deal with meetings in English at work and apply for master's degree and work abroad positions, which are two important goals in my professional career.
What challenges have you faced?
My biggest challenge during the program was missing Brazilian food, in fact! But in terms of learning, understanding when Americans spoke very quickly was a bit of a challenge, but other than that, everything went perfectly well, I loved every detail of the experience.
What have been your favorite experiences in the ELP?
For me, the most special part of all the events that took place was being able to meet people from different cultures around the world and share my story with them, as well as hearing a little about each person's history and culture. Another really cool moment was getting to know the first computer ever created, the ENIAC. The museum visits in Philadelphia and the trip to Washington D.C. were also amazing. And being so close and having the opportunity to get to know New York... is like fulfilling a childhood dream. In addition, having worked on topics that I like and am interested in during the course, such as Innovation, Technology and Leadership, made me even more excited about the program and the feedback we receive from the professors were always very professional and constructive.
Overall, how do you think you’ve grown as a person from your experience here?
Given what I experienced at UPenn during the ELP, I can say that I have grown as a person and a professional. Now I can talk, study and work with anyone in English and I am sure that this has opened new horizons in my career, in addition to having greatly expanded my network. My greatest feeling is gratitude for having learned so much. I am already looking forward to going back to have the opportunity to learn so much again and meet more incredible people.
