MBA Alumna Leverages Expertise in International Study Programs

“I always tell my mentees that the best way of making sure you never achieve anything is not giving yourself a real try,” says Bruna Passos Amaral, who finished Isenberg’s On-Campus MBA program this spring. Many of those mentees are users of Passos Amaral’s business, Partiu Intercâmbio, an online platform for sharing knowledge about exchange and scholarship programs at universities around the world for people interested in studying abroad. The Porto Alegre, Brazil native’s venture won third place at the 2023 Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship Executive Pitch Challenge.

Finding Herself in Journalism

As an undergraduate, Passos Amaral explored a handful of internships to further discover her passion within journalism. Taking a liking to video editing, she accepted a position as a multimedia assistant at one of Brazil’s largest newspapers. Working in breaking news taught her various lessons, including how to be both fast and accurate in reporting and how to handle diverse topics from global disasters to local features.

Working in journalism during such a transformative period for the industry allowed her to learn from both experienced professionals and newcomers like herself to obtain perspectives from across the pipeline. Her experience then led her to become a full-time hire at the newspaper she had been working at.

The Creation of Partiu Intercâmbio

Partiu Intercâmbio, a study abroad and travel search engine that incorporates scholarship opportunities, was inspired by Passos Amaral’s experience with the Youth Ambassadors Program by the American Embassy in Brazil. This program, designed for high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds, allowed students learning English to spend three weeks in the United States to further experience the culture of the language they were studying. Upon her return, she wanted to share similar opportunities with those around her because of her wonderful experience with the program. Initially, she found this to be extremely challenging, but with her journalism bachelor’s degree and existing role at the newspaper, she was offered a space to discuss international education opportunities. Her column gained popularity quickly, being upgraded to a blog and a biweekly published page within a year of its first publication.

After leaving the newspaper, she knew she wanted to continue to publish this information, so Passos Amaral created Partiu Intercâmbio. “It fueled me like nothing else, inspiring me to create a resource I wished I had as a 16-year-old seeking opportunities and guidance for studying abroad,” noted Passos Amaral.

Now, the page generates over 2.5 million visits per year, allowing Passos Amaral to work with more than 1,000 students from diverse backgrounds and journeys, some of whom have become her best friends. While the organization currently focuses on Brazilian students, the goal is to ultimately make the platform accessible to all students worldwide. Student debt, and the fear of obtaining it, exists across numerous countries, and Partiu Intercâmbio wants to support and advise as many students as possible to ensure student debt does not hold them back from pursuing higher education opportunities.

Partiu Intercâmbio and Berthiaume

Passos Amaral entered the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship’s Executive Pitch competition in fall 2023. By crafting a four-minute pitch that resonated with the panel of judges, she earned a third-place finish. “To be honest, achieving third place felt like a victory. Despite the overwhelming workload of the semester, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate,” noted Passos Amaral, “I invited all my friends to the ceremony, not expecting to win anything. I even joked that if I did, I would have had lipstick on!”

Around the World

Passos Amaral is not new to traveling, having received her bachelor’s degree at Brazil’s Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and her master’s degree from The University of Bonn in Germany.

Since 2018, Passos Amaral had been living in the U.K., where she had the opportunity to work directly with the CEO of a company in London managing roommate search engines across 20 countries. The selling of this company pushed her to pursue her MBA at either Isenberg or a school in London, to both of which she was accepted. “Despite the convenience of staying in the U.K., I chose Isenberg for its small cohort, collaborative environment, and the chance to experience studying in the U.S.,” noted Passos Amaral. Isenberg’s supportive, driven, and friendly atmosphere, in addition to the support of a partner at Partiu Intercâmbio who is also an MFA student at UMass, encouraged her to continue to pursue her studies in Amherst.

Isenberg Involvement

During her time in Amherst, Passos Amaral served as vice president of the Net Impact Club, participated in the Graduate Ethics Team, and played a direct role in the reopening of the Suit Shop—an opportunity for students to choose donated clothing for interviews and job fairs—through a pop-up event. The Suit Shop project gathered more than 500 donations and assisted 300-plus students.

She also completed a fellowship at the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, which, alongside classes taught by Professors Monideepa Tarafdar and Anurag Sharma, made her time at Isenberg both invaluable and rewarding.

Now that Passos Amaral has completed her MBA, she plans to move back to the U.K., where she will continue to work on Partiu Intercâmbio and do consulting work on international education. She also has a couple of other opportunities in the pipeline that she is continuing to pursue. “My advice to anyone at Isenberg? Dive into whatever interests you, even if it seems unfamiliar. You never know what opportunities may arise.”