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by Allan Hoffman
[ More Job Q&As ]
Isabel Vilela, 22, arrived in the U.S. from Brazil in May of 1999 for a program in international trade and commerce at UC Berkeley Extension, the continuing education division of the University of California, Berkeley.
In the International Trade & Commerce program, students learn practical strategies for penetrating worldwide markets, with courses in topics such as international finance and global business strategy. Vilela then worked as an intern at Kids On-Line America (www.kola.net), a San Francisco-based start-up offering families an online service that provides children a safe environment for Internet use.
Vilela, who has a business degree from Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Campinas, returned to Brazil in November; but now she's back in San Francisco, working at KOLA as a corporate partnerships assistant.
Monster.com: What made you decide to come to the U.S.?
Isabel Vilela: Well, I had just graduated from university and had the feeling that it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to go further, to learn more and expand my boundaries. I chose the U.S. because of the advanced school system and the language (that I wanted to study further). I didn't have enough money to come here; I spent all my savings and I had to borrow from my parents. For a Brazilian, living in the U.S. is really expensive, and it was even worse because I chose the Bay area. To save money, I lived in a fraternity for three months. It was summer vacation for them, so they allowed me to live there until the beginning of their semester, and I ate a lot of 99-cent hamburgers.
Mc: How did you find your internship? Please explain what you did in the position?
IV: I went to a lot of places with my resume in my hand, offering to work. A friend of mine was working in this start-up, KOLA (Kids On-Line America), and referred me. I had an interview and began my internship. I was very lucky in comparison to my friends, because I had a very challenging internship. I worked with the corporate partnership team. I conducted a lot of marketing research, managed a corporate sales database, and helped to identify target corporations for KOLA.
Mc: What is it like working at an Internet start-up?
IV: Fantastic! It is very dynamic and challenging. It is a place for passionate people and big ideas. The good thing about a start-up is that the company is a clean sheet of paper. You have a lot of work and you quickly see the results of what you are doing.
Mc: Has there been any "culture shock"?
IV: No. I would say that my only "adaptation" problem was with the food. I miss Brazilian food.
Mc: What are some of the main cultural challenges about being here, both in the workplace and socially?
IV: In the workplace I had to learn how to be more dynamic and to get used to quick changes. Another point is that I realized that in a start-up you must have the ability to execute multiple projects and help with whatever it takes for the company to be successful. Socially, I don't feel that I have had any cultural challenges. I learned a lot, and I was open to learning.
Mc: How has this experience changed you?
IV: My international experience definitely had a big impact on me. I changed a lot. Now, I have the impression that things are just easier, and I feel much more self-confident when faced with problems and challenges. My notion of limits is now much bigger.
Mc: You went back to Brazil in November. Was it hard going back?
IV: It was strange because I have some friends there that now I really feel are so short-minded. I feel like some friends are not friends anymore. You change so much. Everybody's the same there, and you've changed, so you feel a little bit lost. Working in a start-up is very dynamic, and very quick, and then I go to Brazil, and everybody talks about crisis, and they're unmotivated and sad. It's strange for me. People who study abroad, when they go back home, they have another way of thinking. It's the same with other people from my course (at Berkeley). They changed, and now they don't fit in in their countries, and they're losing friends, too.
Mc: What do people back home think of what you're doing?
IV: I feel that I'm much more respected now. The notion people have, sometimes, is that I did this crazy thing. It was very quick. I graduated in December (of 1998), and in May I was here. It was very hard for me because my English wasn't very good, and to study at Berkeley I would have to take the TOEFL test. I had to study, and I stayed all Carneval studying. It was really, really hard for me, but I did it. It was hard because it would have been really expensive to take classes for TOEFL. I just took normal classes, and I studied by myself with a book. And then I came here. It was kind of crazy, but I decided I wanted to come and study abroad. It was like a dream. When I put my foot down and I was here, I didn't believe it.
Mc: What advice would you have for someone thinking of coming to the U.S.?
IV: Come! The U.S. is a wonderful country, where opportunities are everywhere. If you work hard, really hard, you will see the results of your work.