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International Student Stories: Luiz Fernando Saade Porto from Brazil

“I don’t want to go back to Seattle. Should I just stay in Rio? ”
That is what freshmen Luiz said, but not anymore. Though he struggled in the beginning  of his time at UW to find friends and a community, today Luiz has successfully has made UW his home. In this episode, Luiz takes us to his experience of being an international student at UW. We will hear his willingness to step out of his comfort zone to find friends, community, and a support system at UW.

Luiz Fernando Saade Porto spent his first 19 years of life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the last three and a half years in Seattle studying at UW.  Luiz is a senior studying Economics with a minor in Informatics and a passion for data science. At the university, he spent more than two years as part of Unite UW, a program that connects domestic and international students and that helped him find his community and home at UW. Some of his hobbies include hanging out with his housemates and friends, playing the bass guitar, hiking, traveling, and truly learning about different cultures by experiencing them.