Isabela Faria, LLM ’98, has charted a dynamic international legal career. As partner at Schmidt Valois Advogados (SVMFA) in her native Rio de Janeiro, she specializes in a broad practice that encompass finance, project finance, banking, business transactions, oil and gas, energy, and infrastructure. Her journey to pursue her LL.M. in Philadelphia to her current role as a partner in a well-recognized law firm in Brazil showcases the power of determination and a passion for embracing new challenges. Isabela, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, was exposed to diverse cultures and backgrounds from an early age. Her parents played pivotal roles in shaping her broad worldview as they often traveled as a family. After completing her initial law degree in Brazil, one of her parents’ friends, whose wife was a Temple alumna, recommended the university’s LL.M. program to Isabela. Before immersing herself in her LL.M. studies, Isabela participated in Temple’s Intensive English Language Program. This provided her with a head start in language proficiency as well as familiarity with the campus and its many …