Promoting campus safety while studying in Brazil

By Matt Schnepf

Isabella De Salvo Fontoura didn’t foresee spending her fall semester at home in Brazil. Unfortunately, travel restrictions due to COVID-19 prevented the Purdue University sophomore from returning to campus by summer’s end. 

As a result, Fontoura resumed her Purdue studies virtually from Campo Grande in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. 

This past summer, the aeronautical and astronautical engineering major completed ProjectX Safe Campus, a COVID-themed initiative through the Krannert School of Management Communication Center. The five-week virtual consulting experience tasked 310 students from diverse majors with developing practical ways to protect Purdue this fall.  

“I thought it was great that Purdue gave us an opportunity to shape solutions to the burdens people are facing,” Fontoura says. “Summer itself was an awkward time for everyone due to COVID. I personally didn’t have an internship, and most students either got their internships switched to online experiences or had them canceled or postponed.” 

For ProjectX, Fontoura and four of her peers proposed various ways to educate students residing off campus about COVID-19 risks and effective health practices. By serving as team lead, Fontoura assessed the ideas presented by each member while also determining who was best equipped for various tasks.     

The team ultimately earned an honorable mention during the project-ending celebration, and Fontoura believes she benefited personally from being involved. “ProjectX was a positive experience,” she says. “It allowed me to further develop my communication, leadership and presentation skills.”  

In addition to her major studies, Fontoura also is pursuing a minor in global engineering studies. Beyond the classroom, she has participated in EPICS, a service-learning program founded at Purdue. 

Now fully engaged in her second year of college, she chose to attend Purdue for several reasons. 

“Between the universities where I applied and was accepted, Purdue had the most developed aerospace program by far,” Fontoura says. “I also chose Purdue based on its amazing history and strong working relationships with companies. I knew I would develop professionally, academically and socially due to all of the clubs and hands-on experiences available.” 

What Fontoura didn’t anticipate was spending a full semester studying from home. Yet she takes it all in stride and appreciates how her professors make online learning as close as possible to in-person classes.

“For me, the online experience has been great, especially since I don’t currently have any group or project classes or labs,” she says. “Most of my fall courses are lectures, and even if I were on campus, some of them would be online during the pandemic.” 

Still, Fontoura looks forward to being back in West Lafayette once travel becomes possible. “I’m hoping to return to campus for spring semester,” she says. “All I’m waiting for are the travel restrictions to be lifted and direct flights to be available again.”