It was a long journey from São Paulo, Brazil, to Burlington, New Jersey, for ƹƵ alum Enzo Lima de Freitas. But it’s a journey that has taken him even further, to the city that never sleeps as a newly transferred Columbia University student.
After graduating high school in Brazil, Lima de Freitas came to the United States to play soccer at Burlington’s Life Center Academy in a post-grad program. He played at a college in Wyoming after recruitment, but an injury would bring him back to South Jersey. From there, a new journey began at RCBC.
“I wanted to go to a school where I can get a good education and is affordable,” Lima de Freitas remembered. “I was thinking about some of the community colleges around there, and because I first contacted RCBC at Life Center Academy, I saw that it was the best option for me.”
After initial skepticism about what major to pursue in his first year, RCBC helped Lima de Freitas find his career footing under the 3+1 Business Administration option. His passion for economics was amplified thanks to classes with RCBC business instructor Dr. Daniel Summers.
“Summers gives you a real scenario about how the economy works, how interesting it is, how you pretty much use economics for everything in your life,” Lima de Freitas said.
It was clear to Lima de Freitas that embracing economics and finance and growing his analytic skills would bolster his ability to qualify for many fields after graduation. So, he set out on a project outside the classroom with a sports startup called Sportex.
is an app Lima de Freitas works on with some friends that connects high schoolers from around the world and college coaches in the U.S. In less than three months, the app has reached over 800 athletes and 100 users, and saw over 225K views on their .
“I would love to keep working in the sports industry, more in the finance and marketing side,” Lima de Freitas realized while working at the startup.
However, just getting his foot in the door in the economics market would be hard, Lima de Freitas noted. He recognized early that his best bet to stand out among his peers was to get into a good school after achieving his associate degree, and looked ahead to schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia.
“I knew it was possible, but I also knew it would be very hard,” Lima de Freitas said of getting into an Ivy League as a community college student.
Lima de Freitas recommends using all the resources available at an institution.
“A lot of times, a school offers a lot of different resources and extracurricular activities that people don’t know about because they just go to the school, they take a class, and they go back home. They don’t actually try to get involved,” Lima de Freitas said. “Try to talk to career advisors, talk to your professors, and academic advisors. They can help you in ways you can’t even imagine.”
Lima de Freitas worked as a peer mentor at RCBC. Working at the front desk helped improve his English skills, develop his customer service, and make more connections with students and staff at the college.
At the end of the day, Columbia matched Lima de Freitas perfectly as an excellent hub for economics and international students. It’s the epicenter for a student looking to network with its locale in the most populous U.S. city, New York City. It will provide him access to the companies and CEOs considered the cream of the crop, domestically and worldwide.
His acceptance into the college has already opened doors for him in his home country, signaling a boundless and exciting future.
“I was in Brazil… and I already got interviews and meetings over there,” Lima de Freitas said. “Things can change very fast, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen… but I believe everything I want’s going to come.”
