With the help of the Ohio State Brazil Gateway and The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Brazil has launched its first alumni club, which will be based in São Paulo. Roberto Abramson, ’77 MBA, CEO of Abramson Strategics, will serve as president.
In 2019, the Brazil Gateway hosted an event to commemorate Ohio State’s Sesquicentennial. The event included an alumni photo exhibit and over 70 people, including alumni and friends of Ohio State. That day, alumni in attendance gathered to discuss the possibility of launching a club in Brazil.
While Buckeyes in Brazil have informally come together many times over the years, a club was never formalized because Brazilians are not accustomed to alumni engagement with their alma maters.
“Since 2014, the Brazil Gateway has been engaging alumni and hosting events with alumni,” said Jane Aparecido, ’15 LLM, Brazil Gateway director. “Because the idea of alumni engagement is somewhat new for Brazilians, the Brazil Gateway started with small projects—although supporting the creation of an alumni club was always the plan.”
The club aims to increase connections with Brazilian alumni, new students and partners.
“Working to start the Ohio State Alumni Club of Brazil has been an extremely exciting way to continue connecting Brazilian Buckeyes to Ohio State and with each other,” said Colin Veatch, regional engagement officer at the alumni association. “Buckeyes live in a variety of locations all around the world and we are thankful for our volunteers who work so hard to bring a piece of the Ohio State community to Brazil. It is one more great example of the phrase ‘How Firm thy friendship.’”
Members of the leadership team also include Gustavo Ribeiro, ’19 MBA, head of logistics at Liv Up, who will serve as vice president, Aparecido will serve as secretary, and Leonardo Sprintzin, ’17 BA, senior financial management and operations consultant at Social Sector Accelerator, will serve as treasurer.
Other Brazilian alumni interested in joining the club can email brazilgateway@osu.edu and follow the club on Facebook or LinkedIn for more information.
