Settled in after nearly 3 weeks on campus? Here’s our next Fresh Encounter from cohort 11: Larissa Abujamra Figueira de Oliveira! Oliveira is excited to work alongside her cohort in group projects and looking forward to building community and connections with her peers and professors throughout her time at IYA. Founder and podcast listener, Oliveira is also a daily NYT Games aficionado! Wordle you think about that? Learn more about Oliveira and the start up she founded below! 

Tell us a little bit about your journey to IYA. What were you looking for in an undergraduate program?

Throughout high school, I had a hard time settling for my "dream major" at a university, mainly because I was interested in so many different things at once. IYA is the only program I ever came across that deeply values interdisciplinary studies, and instead of making students choose between areas, the Academy provides tools to work at their intersections. I chose IYA because of what it stands for, because of the amazing facilities, professors and because of the wide range of opportunities I can take advantage of.

What are you most looking forward to at IYA?

I am very excited to start working in group projects together with my cohort mates. Everyone from IYA has so much to contribute and is eager to participate in meaningful discussions. I feel like having a rigorous and demanding selection process essentially means that everyone who is here now really wants to be here and make the most of their degree. 

What are three goals you want to accomplish during your time at IYA and/or USC?

Build meaningful connections with my peers and professors 

Engage in projects that somehow have a meaningful impact on my community

Apply the knowledge I gain through classes to real-world projects. I wish to leave the Academy by the end of my 4-years with a portfolio that showcases my ability to work at different intersections. 

Let’s say you were miraculously provided $1,000,000 in seed funding tomorrow. What would you create?

(I had this idea last week) - An email app extension that is powered by AI. Every morning, when you see your inbox crowded with lengthy emails and don't feel like taking the time to read through each one, Inbox Insight takes the gist of each email and when you click play, it tells you everything you need to know. You can listen to it while brushing your teeth, or even in the car. This would take a lot less time than having to read emails one by one, and it would also avoid the extremely lazy and inattentive to skip important information.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

My proudest achievement is founding my startup, Faça Parte (or Be A Part in English). I began teaching tech classes to senior citizens after witnessing firsthand how my grandparents struggled with technology. Three years later, I now lead a group of over 20 teenage volunteers and have established partnerships with various organizations across São Paulo. My journey with Faça Parte showed me that when you do something you care about, you can get further than you imagine. 

What is one thing a significant person in your life taught you that you’d like to share?

My father would always tell me that whenever I tried something new, I would automatically be better than I was before. Even if the experience wasn't perfect, just by stepping out of my bubble, I could somehow meet someone new, encounter some opportunity or light a spark for a new idea. 

What is your favorite app/website and why?

My favorite app at the moment is NYT Games. It started as a website and they turned it into an app. Something about it makes me want to open it every morning and go through every single word game. Their aesthetics are nice and the functionality is great. Going around the app is very intuitive and I think that is one of the main things that makes it so good. 

If you could be any kitchen appliance, what would you be and why? 

I would like to be an airfryer because everyday people create new recipes that I could make myself (ovens are overrated now) and I would make really unhealthy foods, healthier. Everyone is happy when they use an airfryer! 

What do you like to do/watch/read during your downtime?

In my downtime I enjoy doing yoga and listening to fun podcasts.

FRESH Encounters: Larissa Abujamra Figueira de Oliveira

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