This summer, participants in the Brazil Residency, part of the Graduate School of Political Management’s (GSPM) Global Politics program, capped a four-week course on Brazil’s politics, policies, and global influence with an immersive experience in the nation’s business center, São Paulo, and political capital, Brasília.
The highlights of the visit to São Paulo included a meeting at the Banderantes Palace, the seat of the Governor of São Paulo, to learn about investment in the country's largest and most prosperous city, as well as interactions with the RenovaBR team. This unique organization trains future leaders and helps them get elected to political offices. The group also met with information, communication, and consulting companies, such as Edelman Global Advisory, and enjoyed the hospitality of the German-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, while mingling with members of the Political Marketing Association Club (CAMP).
The rich program in Brasilia included visits to Congress and the Presidential Palace, engagement with officials from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Management, and Environment, and participation in a panel of ambassadors from Spain, Canada, and Costa Rica. Exceptional experiences involved conversations with Luís Roberto Barroso, President of the Supreme Federal Court, and Deputy Marcel van Hattem, who offered unique insights into Brazil’s democracy and its role in global affairs.
For the first time, this Global Residency welcomed students from the CPS Cybersecurity Strategy and Information Management Program, who had a chance to explore Brazil’s responses to domestic and global cybersecurity challenges, get acquainted with electronic voting and AI breakthroughs in the nation, and connect with the subject-matter experts from the Munio Security firm and the Superior Judicial and Electoral Courts.
Thanks to the support of partners, participants left with a more profound understanding, valuable connections, and lasting memories of their time in Brazil. Special gratitude goes to GSPM alumni Publio Madruga, Bruno Hoffmann, Cila Schulman, Lucas Danese, and Mauricio Moura, as well as alumnus Bob Chapman of the 2018 Brazil Residency.
With “tchau” to Brazil, the Global Residencies Program now looks ahead to welcoming students to its Spain Residency in Fall 2025.
