Today, thanks to the high quality of our personalized service, we are the Brazilian benchmark for educational consultancy in the field of studying abroad.
Alma Mater opened in 2012 in response to the growing number of Brazilian students looking to apply to universities and other educational programs abroad. Our consultancy services aim to help students select and prepare for the top global educational institutions. Although based in Rio de Janeiro, Alma Mater Education Consultancy has a presence throughout Brazil and representatives in the USA and throughout Europe.
We focus on courses and programs offered in English in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. We work with applicants from both Brazilian and international educational institutions in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Brasília, Porto Alegre, Salvador, Goiânia, Fortaleza, Belo Horizonte, and other states.
Today we enjoy the reputation of providing exceptional performance within our field due to our commitment to the highest level of client service. This includes:
- Our direct access to Brazilian and international educational institutions within Brazil, as well as strategic relationships with institutions in the USA, Europe, Australia and Asia;
- An in-depth knowledge of the local curriculum, which allows us to make parallels with those of institutions abroad and, thus, help the student to fill in any gaps that could weaken their candidacy because they lack elements valued by foreign institutions;
- Extensive knowledge of extracurricular opportunities necessary to enhance the candidate’s background for universities abroad;
- A multinational and highly qualified team, all former students from foreign universities and, therefore, with first-hand experience of teaching and university life in other countries.
Fernanda Mariani
CEO of Alma Mater, Brazilian/Italian, graduated from PUC-Rio in Journalism and Advertising. She lived in New York for 7 years, where she graduated from F.I.T. and Parsons. Fernanda is a UCLA certified College Consultant.
Gabriela Davies
CCO of Alma Mater, Brazilian/English, born in London. After completing the IB Diploma at The British School, Rio de Janeiro, she studied Communication in London. Gabriela is a UCLA certified College Consultant.
Wendy Turner
Luiza Provedel
Partner, specialist in UK and Masters applications and essay editor, Luiza is Brazilian, graduated in Portuguese-English Literature from PUC-Rio, with a master’s in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and doctorate at the University of Lisbon.
Simone Rodrigues
Brazilian, responsible for Alma Mater’s finance department. Simone has 18 years of experience in the financial and administrative departments of large companies.
Elissa Rose
Nikola Radley
British invited consultant, Nikola has 9 years experience in asset management and investment banking in the UK. She graduated in Business Management and also works in the NGO sector and as a business English tutor.
Kimberly Tracewski
American invited consultant, Kimberly graduated in English Literature and Secondary Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Kimberly has taught high school English for more than eight years. After living and working in Chicago, Kimberly moved to Brazil in 2019.
Joe Rowley
British invited consultant, Joe graduated with a BA in English Literature from The University of Sheffield, with an MSc in Comparative Politics (Latin America) from The London School of Economics (LSE). He also worked for 12 years as a legal and financial journalist in the UK and Brazil.
Maria Moretzsohn
Brazilian/Canadian invited consultant, Maria graduated from Graded school with the IB Diploma, then studied Psychology and Sociology at McGill University. She has international experience in research.
Raphael Mariani
American / European / Brazilian invited consultant, Raphael graduated in International Studies from Vassar College and has Masters of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University. With extensive writing and research skills, he was a former candidate for State Assembly in New York.
Luiza Caramez
Brazilian invited consultant, Luiza has a degree in Art History and Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design. She has worked in arts institutions in NY and SP and has international research experience.
Alessandra Ribeiro
Brazilian invited consultant Alessandra is a psychologist and holds a master’s degree in educational psychology and human development from the University of British Columbia and the University of São Paulo. She also works as an English teacher, preparing people to achieve their goals with the language.
Ingrid Le Van
French/German invited consultant, Ingrid graduated from the University of London with a BA in European Studies. She worked as representative of the flagship research funding programmes of the European Commission and several European universities and has held various positions in the education, communications and tourism industries.
Letícia Monteiro
Brazilian invited consultant Letícia is an actress, writer and arts educator graduated from Grinnell College. Letícia has also studied at the National Theater Institute and The Second City, and is a recipient of the prestigious Lin-Manuel Miranda Family Fellowship.
Giulia Benarroz
Intern, Giulia Benarroz is Brazilian, studying Business Administration at Unicarioca. She successfully completed the Masterclass at the Brazilian Society of English Culture.
Marcelle Pessey
Juliana Viola
Brazilian invited consultant, graduated in Psychology from University of Virginia, Master in International Education with a postgraduate course in International School Counseling at Lehigh University. Juliana has been a counselor for 12 years at international schools in SP.
Isabel Canelhas
Portuguese invited consultant, Isabel was born in Mozambique and holds a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Lisbon. She guides students interested in doing an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in Portugal.
Kathy Wasik
External collaborator, Kathy has tutored students for more than 15 years. Upon graduating from Vassar College with a BA in Mathematics, she worked for ten years at an elite tutoring firm in New York. Kathy has tutored independently since 2014.
Chase Ebert
External collaborator, Chase graduated from Yale University with a BA in philosophy. He is equally comfortable with math and humanities. Chase’s mentees have gone on to attend prestigious schools as Cornell, Columbia, Brown and NYU.
David Bodgan
External collaborator, David graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University in 2002. After working for a Manhattan-based tutoring company, David launched his private tutoring practice in 2015, where he works with students worldwide.
Mila Liakhovitser
External collaborator. After a near perfect score on the SAT, Mila graduated from Duke University with a BS in Mathematics, a BA in Philosophy, and a Minor in Economics. She works at a FinTech startup and part-time as a math and test prep tutor.
Stoyan Stoyanov
External collaborator, upon graduating from Columbia with a Master’s in Political Science, Stoyan has taught in high school and colleges, written lessons in math-related subjects and tutored students one-on-one. He helped students gain admission to Harvard, MIT, Cornell and Brown.
Sean Onsen
External collaborator, a graduate of Columbia’s MFA Writing program and a National Merit Scholar at USC, Sean has over ten years’ experience tutoring and leading a team of ACT, SAT, GMAT and GRE teachers. His students are admitted to MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, USC, NYU and more.
