Lily Wu, CGIS Peer Advisor: Hi Ricardo, thanks for meeting with me. Could you please start by introducing yourself?

Ricardo Peres da Silva, U-M '25 Alum: My name is Ricardo Peres da Silva and I use he/him pronouns. I graduated from the Ross School of Business in May 2025. I majored in Business and minored in Environmental Sustainability and Creative Writing. I studied abroad on the CGIS: Latin American Societies and Culture in Buenos Aires, Argentina program. I am currently doing an economic development program with the Peace Corps in Paraguay. I started this program at the end of May, right after graduation.

Experience with CGIS

LW: Why did you choose to study abroad on this program in Buenos Aires?

RS: Sure. I was in the Ross School of Business and for my semester abroad, I wanted to be as far from Ross as possible. Not only was this program a continent away from every Ross program I knew, but the classes offered were also very interesting to me. As a Creative Writing minor, I enjoyed the literature classes. I was also presented an opportunity to completely learn another language—I knew that if I went to Spain, I wouldn’t really learn Spanish. I wanted to go outside of my comfort zone, because I’d always been around business students and business classes. I didn’t take a single business class when I was there.

LW: What was your experience in Buenos Aires like?

RS: I took one class with an exchange program that met 3 times a week; in the mornings, I would go to the institute center with all other Americans. All my other classes, though, were through a private university, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, with other foreign students. I had classmates from Spain, France, Liechtenstein, who I got closer with than with the other Americans—I even took a class with the Princess of Belgium. On top of that, I had the opportunity to volunteer at an afterschool program twice a week, which helped me learn the language, meet locals, and integrate really well. From classes and the volunteering program, there was a lot of culture sharing, not just from Buenos Aires but all over.

LW: Is there an anecdote or experience that sticks out in your mind?

RS: I lived with a host mother. They’re usually older, single women. I lived with a 72 year old woman who lived by herself in a big apartment. I’ve always been a bit distanced from my grandparents, so I’d never really gotten close with an older person. I got really close with her; she’d cook for me every night, and we would sit at the table for more than an hour just talking. If there was one place where I learned Spanish, it’d be there. I still call her, a year and a half later, and she might actually go on a road trip to come visit me later. I’m definitely going to visit her. This connection is what I appreciate most about IES, as my host mother helped me integrate so much.

LW: Was there anything that you wished you had done differently during study abroad? If not, what are you proud of doing?

RS: I’m very happy with what I did. I’m glad I took a lot of classes with non-Americans. I think it really pushed me out of my comfort zone to befriend other exchange students.

LW: What advice would you give to prospective study abroad students, especially those who are interested in the IES Buenos Aires program?

RS: When you’re there, don’t be tempted to hang out only with Americans and stick in your comfort zone. Throw yourself out there. I didn’t go on a single trip with someone who I knew before. It was so rewarding, and I still keep in touch with friends. Once you’re there, you can do so much, so try to do as much as you can. I’m not saying to reinvent yourself, but you really can learn more in this special period if you are more uncomfortable.

Postgrad professional development

LW: What do you do for work? What does an average day look like at your current job?

RS: I wake up around 6 am and get to school at 7 am to work with teachers on making lessons for our students; I assist in teaching English and Economy, 100% in Spanish. At about 9 am, I go to the gym. Then I come home for lunch with my host family, and go back to the school until about 5 pm. In the evening, I’ll either go to a speaker event or community event, or hang out with friends until 10 or 11 pm. I repeat this the next day—it’s a pretty regimented schedule, but I have a lot of free time as well. I chose how I wanted to structure it; it’s the most flexible job you could possibly have.

LW: How do you feel like studying abroad impacted your time at Michigan, personally, academically, or in skill-building?

RS: Academically, my repertoire of Latin American literature definitely expanded, which influenced me to take a lot of specific classes in my senior year, just diving deeper into Latin American literature. Another way, I think, is that learning the Spanish language allowed me to connect with a lot of Latin American students at U-M much better than I could before. Studying abroad also helped me with my senior year job. I worked an accounting job in Detroit through U-M, and I was able to work with Spanish entrepreneurs who only spoke Spanish. If I hadn’t done [the Buenos Aires program], I would probably just have been doing a corporate job at a bank right now; instead, I had the curiosity and language base to return to this region of the world. The plan is to be here for two years.

LW: Did your study abroad experience provide insight into/clarify your career goals?

RS: My experience made me realize that I want to work outside the US and learn more languages, even beyond Spanish, which was new. I’m taking Guaraní classes, which is the national language of Paraguay. Studying abroad motivated me to keep being curious and to want to live outside the US.

LW: What skills or anecdotes from study abroad have you used in a job interview?

RS: Of course, I referenced in my Peace Corps interview that I lived in Argentina for 4 months. For my job in Detroit, too, it impressed my boss that I could work with entrepreneurs who only spoke Spanish. But [to clarify], I don’t think that alone got me the job.

LW: Similarly, do you think that employers value study abroad experience? If so, how?

RS: I think it depends on the field. For the field that I was considering, impact finance, all of my interviewers had lived or worked or studied in Latin America or Asia at some point in their life, and I imagine that if I hadn’t had my [study abroad experience], I would’ve felt unqualified for those roles. For fields that are more based on human connection and demand a greater perspective, like diplomacy and human rights, 100% you’d like to have some experience abroad.

LW: Do you think that an international experience was helpful in your career/will be for your intended career? In your experience, in general, does international experience help in preparing for professional life?

RS: Theoretically, my career would be finance, but I’m also thinking about finding a master’s program outside of the US. I’d like to go into international development and human rights. I think [an international experience] was a great thing to put on my resume, that I can speak Spanish and work in not only a new language but also a different culture. I had to learn different perspectives of professionalism and conducting meetings, different ways of connecting with people. Even though I didn’t take any business classes or work with a business while abroad, I learned a lot of soft skills.
[Another thing is that] Michigan really pushes that jobs are the most important goal. Having graduated and did the hard work to get here, I realize how jobs are just one part of life. That is a privilege to say, but even as I don’t know how safe or secure my job is right now, I want to say that life is so much more than a job. I think students should go abroad precisely because so much of [the focus at] U-M is on jobs. You should have one semester where you don’t have to worry or think about that.

Have questions for Ricardo? Reach out to him at rpds@umich.edu and check out other CGIS blogs here!