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Isabelle Lemos, a resident of Gardênia Azul, Rio, was accepted into Stanford and four other universities in the United States after a journey marked by public school, scholarships, and academic preparation.
Isabelle Lemos, a native of Rio and resident of Gardênia Azul, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, was accepted to study Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University in the United States.
The student also received acceptance from four other American institutions: University of Rochester, Wesleyan University, University of Notre Dame, and Dartmouth College.
According to CNN Brasil, Isabelle is expected to start the course in September.
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Stanford has an admission rate of less than 4% and selects fewer than 2,200 students from over 55,000 applicants per year, as reported.
The Brazilian’s entry comes after a journey that brought together public school, scholarships, academic preparation, and participation in programs aimed at low-income students.
The daughter of a single mother and a former public school student, Isabelle balanced different study routines during part of her education.
On her path to international candidacy, she attended a municipal school, joined Ismart, an institute that supports low-income young people with high academic performance, and then participated in the Prep Program, an initiative by Fundação Estudar aimed at preparing for universities abroad.
Her interest in science began before the application phase.
According to the student, her contact with astronomy books in childhood was influenced by an aunt who took her to bookstores and libraries.
From this first contact, the space area became part of her academic interests and, later, her engineering education project.
From Gardênia Azul to Stanford
Isabelle’s change in school path occurred during the pandemic, when she was in 7th grade.
During this period, the student joined Ismart, an acronym for Instituto Social para Motivar, Apoiar e Reconhecer Talentos (Social Institute to Motivate, Support, and Recognize Talents).
The organization identifies low-income students and offers support for admission and retention in private schools.
With the scholarship, Isabelle began studying at Colégio pH in the afternoon, while maintaining her classes at the municipal school in the morning.
The routine began to demand adaptation between two school environments, with different study loads and new academic demands.
In an interview with CNN Brasil, the student stated that joining the project changed her perspectives.
“Being in the project transformed my life 100%. I was a public school student who always stood out a lot there, but was restricted to that environment. When I joined Ismart, my world turned upside down,” she said.
The statement shows, from the student’s own perspective, how access to a new education network broadened her academic repertoire.
From that moment on, preparation ceased to focus solely on regular school performance and began to include extracurricular activities, scientific Olympiads, and broader selection processes.
Preparation for universities abroad
In high school, Isabelle participated in the Prep Program, from Fundação Estudar.
According to the student, the initiative offered guidance on organizing preparation, seeking opportunities, and managing the routine required by applications.
“During this journey, I received all the guidance and support I needed, in organization, in seeking opportunities, in mental and physical monitoring,” Isabelle stated.
The preparation involved different fronts.
In addition to school studies, the young woman participated in scientific Olympiads, developed extracurricular projects, and simultaneously prepared for Brazilian entrance exams and international selection processes.
Applications to universities in the United States generally consider academic record, essays, letters of recommendation, and activities developed throughout one’s education.
In Isabelle’s case, her interest in orbital systems engineering and space missions is linked to the path she has built since childhood.
The path also required the student to organize academic goals in another language and in a selection model different from the Brazilian university entrance exam.
While national exams usually place great weight on performance in tests, international processes evaluate a broader set of information about the candidate.
Astronomy books and the choice of engineering
Isabelle’s interest in the space field began at home, before formal preparation for foreign universities.
According to her, an aunt played an important role in this first contact with science by encouraging her to frequent bookstores and libraries.
“She bought several books for me, including astronomy books, and that was my first contact with the area I would later pursue,” the student recalled.
As her schooling progressed, her interest began to focus on topics related to orbital systems and space missions, areas associated with the course she intends to pursue at Stanford.
The choice of Aeronautics and Astronautics also aligns with an area still uncommon among Brazilian students when compared to more traditional careers.
In the young woman’s case, her trajectory combines family encouragement, access to scholarships, participation in educational programs, and specific preparation for international selection.
Education, community, and social return
Even with her move to the United States, Isabelle stated that she intends to maintain ties with the community where she grew up.
According to the student, the goal is to use the acquired knowledge to contribute to education and social projects linked to her origins.
The executive director of Ismart, Mariana Rego Monteiro, linked the student’s trajectory to the institution’s proposal.
“When Isabelle says she wants to return to impact her community, she summarizes everything we believe in. We don’t train young people to leave the place where they were born. We train leaders who carry that place with pride wherever they go,” she stated.
In the assessment presented by the director, Isabelle’s journey represents the type of education sought by the institute: expanding opportunities without breaking the students’ ties with their communities.
The statement also reinforces the role of educational support programs in the trajectory of low-income young people seeking access to selective institutions.
Isabelle described Ismart as an opening point for new possibilities.
“Ismart is the little key I needed to put in the door and turn to open a new world, get to know a new reality, and expand everything I thought about career and future,” she said.
Between municipal school, a scholarship at a private college, and preparation for foreign universities, the student gathered experiences that supported her application.
Approval at Stanford and four other universities in the United States became the most visible result of this process, but the trajectory also highlights the importance of academic guidance, access to opportunities, and family encouragement.
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