From Gainesville to Rio de Janeiro, Paloma Pinto Ribeiro Coelho has taken a non-traditional path to commencement.
A Preview staffer and UF Online ambassador, Pinto began at UF as a freshman and embraced every opportunity to be involved.
Then, midway through her sophomore year, the media production major learned devastating news. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had denied her and her family green cards.
"I was horrified, scared, and concerned, to say the least," Pinto said.
Because she could no longer stay in the country, Pinto moved back to her native Brazil in December 2021, where she immigrated from in 2016. There, she lived with her family, and finished the last half of her degree through UF Online, which crafted a customized plan for her to complete her studies internationally.
"I feel just as much a UF student as someone who takes in-person classes," Pinto said. "There is no other program I wish I was a part of now, as UF Online has truly given me all that I need to succeed."
