No study abroad experience is alike. Each program caters to different interests and goals, both academic and personal. For Jocelyn Mendoza, finding a program that pushed her to grow was the most important qualification. She wanted somewhere different from her suburban neighborhood in Michigan, different from the Notre Dame bubble in South Bend. She wanted to be challenged to expand her horizons, perspectives, and experiences. For her, that program was the São Paulo FGV semester program.
With Jocelyn being a strategic management major, Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV) was a perfect fit academically. FGV is one of the most prestigious business schools in the world, and the highest ranked, AACSB-accredited business school in Brazil, providing business students like Jocelyn an excellent opportunity to advance their studies while learning how businesses operate in another country.
One of the largest, most cosmopolitan cities in the world, São Paulo stands in stark contrast to what Jocelyn was used to. “It’s very fast-paced…There’s so much life to it,” she says, describing the museums, shops, and food stalls that line the buzzing Paulista Avenue, a long street that serves as the city’s cultural hub and financial and commercial center. Another favorite spot of Jocelyn’s was the Liberdade neighborhood, famous for its Japanese restaurants and shops.
Despite being such a massive city, Jocelyn noted her pleasant surprise at being able to walk to so many places. ULiving, the apartment building where Notre Dame students stay, is strategically located for study abroad students. Not only is it a 30-minute walk from FGV, but it’s near public transportation, parks, and restaurants. Because ULiving is a residential community specifically for university students, it has also been a helpful environment to meet people—with the vast majority being international students like Jocelyn. “It's interesting to see how we interact when no one's in their home turf. Everyone's the abroad student,” she says. “Home means something so different to us, and yet we still understand what we mean by, ‘I miss home.’”
As the only Notre Dame student in the program, Jocelyn knew she had a challenge to face when it came to finding a social circle. She describes it as “going back to freshman year,” where she was a new person in a new place, surrounded by new faces. Still, when faced with the choice of applying to a program where she knew she had friends or a program where she didn’t know anyone else, she chose the latter. She chose the opportunity to push past her comfort zone, and it was just as effective as she’d hoped.
Without the safety net of having four years to build connections, Jocelyn says she was more determined to put herself out there. “If you don't make friends now, you're not making them. So urgency forced me to be more social, which I think was important because that's also a skill I benefitted from learning,” she says. She had to learn to trust herself in more ways than one—whether it was making new friends or navigating a bustling city.
Thankfully, she had a support system to lean on in the Notre Dame São Paulo team. Program Assistant Rafaella Bonaccorsi Dantas was there to welcome Jocelyn to the city, show her around, and throughout the semester, served as a resource for recommendations or just someone to talk to. Jocelyn also met up with ND São Paulo Director Thaïs Burmeister de Campos Pires a few times, including at a Notre Dame event for Brazilian students who were accepted at Notre Dame. Through that event, Jocelyn also met Notre Dame alumni, extending her support system in Brazil even further. She shares how Thaïs emphasized to her, “If you need anything, if you want anything, just let me know. We'll make it happen.”
Thanks to these trusted connections and Jocelyn’s own drive to challenge herself, her semester in Brazil has been an unforgettable experience. “From the big trips to the small interactions, you come to appreciate it all…I’m going to miss this place,” she says. Her advice for other students exploring smaller programs in unfamiliar cities? “Take the plunge and go. You won't regret it.”
Interested in learning more about study abroad programs in Brazil? Visit the study abroad website or the Notre Dame São Paulo website for more information.
Originally published by at saopaulo.nd.edu on December 10, 2025.