Honor Society® member
Gabriela Rodrigues de Morais
Primary school teacher on local biodiversity (unpaid) at As one of the six students in the world to pursue the Biodiversity Systems Transformation Pathway as part of my IB Diploma, I learned there was more I could share with young minds from where I come from. As a gesture of gratitude for the schools I attended in Brazil, I taught biodiversity, as well as opportunities to study abroad and engage in scientific olympiads, to hundreds of children in different schools.
- Earth Systems
- Class of 2029
- Campina Grande, Paraiba, Brazil
Member since December 2024
About
Gabriela grew up in Taperoá in Paraíba (Brazil). She studied at Colégio Motiva in Campina Grande for 4 years, where she had the opportunity to participate in science olympiads and win prizes nationally and internationally in physics, astronomy and chemistry. In 2023, she was one of the 3 high school girls in the country to be selected for TechGIrls, a fully-funded program by the U.S. Department of State, the first time she went abroad. In the same year, she moved to Wales to study at UWC Atlantic College, where she is now a high school student in the pioneer cohort of the Systems Transformation Pathway IB Diploma about social change in systems thinking. Inside this curriculum, she works in the Impact Area of Biodiversity fighting for the protection of endangered species in the Northeast of Brazil.
Top 5% in the National Science Olympiad for 3 years, top 0.07% in the Brazilian Astronomy and Astronautics Olympiad 2022, Brazilian Physics Tournament 2023. Top 29 in the EGMO Brazilian selection process. +40 medals.
Education
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Stanford University
Earth Systems
2025 – Present
Honors and awards
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Environmental Fellowship
[International] - 11th, Villars Institute (international travel grant) 1 of 150, only Brazilian selected.
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- brazilian astronomy and astronautics olympiad (oba)
[National] - 10th, 11th 2x Gold Medal (Top 66 of 200K+ students in 2023, top 0.03%)
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Brazilian Girls Math Tournament
[National] - 10th Top 20 of 390K (0.005%); received training for international olympiad.
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International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition
[International] - 9th, 10th 2x Ambassador Award for Excellent Encouragement (2% of 300 ambassadors awarded)
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UWC Brasil National Committee
[National] - 11th Accepted to United World Colleges, 1 of 9 Brazilian students selected out of 2K+ (0.4% acceptance rate)
Goals and interests
- Career goal
Climate change researcher and politician in Brazil with the goal to strengthen public education and access to academic opportunities for low-income Brazilian students.
- Graduate school interests
Research about disruptions of atmospheric and pluviometrical patterns due to climate change.
- Outside the classroom
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Experience
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Primary school teacher on local biodiversity (unpaid)
As one of the six students in the world to pursue the Biodiversity Systems Transformation Pathway as part of my IB Diploma, I learned there was more I could share with young minds from where I come from. As a gesture of gratitude for the schools I attended in Brazil, I taught biodiversity, as well as opportunities to study abroad and engage in scientific olympiads, to hundreds of children in different schools.
Jun 2024 – Jul 2024
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Fundraising Mentor at the Latin America Leadership Academy
After raising $900 USD to support four Brazilian students to attend in-person interviews for the UWC selection process in Brazil, I applied my fundraising, networking, and marketing skills to do the same for low-income students to attend youth leadership bootcamps in Latin America. Applying the strategies I once used, I trained 3 students to raise $300 USD in under four weeks.
Sep 2023 – Nov 2023
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Research at Virginia Tech University and Job Shadowing at Our Next Energy
Researching the impact of wildfires on rivers gave me my first classroom contact with environmental engineering. Job shadowing at Our Next Energy as a TechGirl gave me the opportunity to see—for the first time—so many women in leadership positions. Grateful for this opportunity, I became the Latin American Leader for the TechGirls Alumni Advisory Council to support hundreds of new girls to impact their communities and provide networking opportunities.
Jun 2023 – Jul 2023
Volunteering
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Selected Ambassador & Leader. Conducting interviews for new members, leading 8 students to fundraise for low-income students, $115K USD goal for scholarship. Contacting parents and holding events with 700+ people. Having biweekly meetings with the Philanthropy team of UWC on campus and the London office.
Project 505 & Student Financial Services
May 2024 – May 2025
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Core Regional Member for Western Hemisphere [Latin America] Leading workshops for students in Latin America about opportunities abroad and for future TechGirls cohorts. Working with US embassy in Brazil to support Brazilian TechGirls with social impact projects.
TechGirls Alumni Advisory Council
Jan 2024 – Dec 2024
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Founder and Director Leading mentorship program to expand access to STEM scholarships for girls from the Paraíba state in Brazil. Leading mentors, forming partnerships with schools, and writing grants to receive $1.2K USD in funding. Expected launch: 2025 with 100+ girls.
Science for Girls - Paraíba
Jan 2024 – Jan 2026
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Co-founder & National Director of Brazil Leading book competition about climate change in 6 countries and 90 students in Brazil. Training 4 STEM judges. Forming partnerships to publish books of 20 students and use the books for social projects for reading and education abroad.
STEAM Iuvenis Competition
Aug 2023 – Jan 2025
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Coder for Social Good (HTML, CSS, Python, JS) Analyzing data sets to develop a website for donations and awareness about floods in Brazil, coding to raise money against human trafficking, and developing a website for low-income Brazilian students to study for university entrance exams.
Coding (Girls Who Code, Brazilian Coding Olympiad, Empower-IT)
Jan 2022 – May 2025
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Literature, History, Physics, Portuguese and English Volunteering for the Matrix Project in BR as a tutor and training 5 new members. Teaching English in Refugee Centers in Wales. Studying 56 evidence types from exams in order to write 50+ materials and 100+ questions for 6K stds in Brazil and the UK.
Tutoring (multiple organizations)
Oct 2021 – Nov 2024
Languages
- English (US) Fluent
- Portuguese (Brasil) Fluent
- Spanish Advanced
Additional information
Organizations
