From São Paulo to Amsterdam: Wittenborg Graduate Builds Career Abroad

01.09.2025

Beatriz de Rosa Soares Blends Brazilian Experience with Dutch Opportunities

For Beatriz de Rosa Soares, moving from Santo André, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, to the Netherlands was both a personal and professional turning point. A Wittenborg graduate, Beatriz completed a Master of Business Management (MBM) in Entrepreneurship and Innovation while adapting to a new country and building a career in the Dutch job market.

Before starting her studies at Wittenborg, Beatriz had already accumulated solid academic and work experience in Brazil. She holds a degree in Production Engineering and an MBA in Marketing. Professionally, she worked in the customer success department of a technology company serving the healthcare industry. Although her high school years included a brief stint living abroad, her university education and early professional development took place entirely in Brazil.

By the time she decided to pursue a master’s degree in the Netherlands, Beatriz was not embarking on this journey alone. She and her partner had been planning to live abroad together and carefully evaluated several options. “We wanted to live in a country where we could work using languages we already spoke – Portuguese, English, or Spanish – or where it would be easy to learn the language. It also had to be a place with a decent job market, somewhere we could find opportunities without too much difficulty. The Netherlands allowed us to work in English, which was a major advantage,” she said.

Once they chose the country, Beatriz began looking into study options. Her decision to enrol at Wittenborg was driven by practical considerations. “I liked the programme’s focus on innovation and the tuition fees were within our budget, which is a big deal when you’re paying in Brazilian reais. Wittenborg also offered multiple intake dates throughout the year, which gave me more flexibility,” she explained

While her partner initially arrived on a tourist visa and later found a job that offered visa sponsorship, Beatriz came specifically to study.

The move to the Netherlands represented an exciting new chapter, but it also brought unexpected challenges. “Finding housing was one of the hardest parts. At first, I stayed in student housing, but when that period ended, I struggled to find a place. You start to panic when time is running out and you haven’t found anything yet. It was much more difficult than I had anticipated,” she recalled.

Another major adjustment was adapting to a different academic culture. Having completed two degrees in Brazil, Beatriz was surprised by the volume and nature of written assignments in her programme. “In Brazil, especially in engineering, we had a lot more hands-on work. When I arrived here, I was shocked by how academic and writing-intensive the programme was,” she said. “It wasn’t just a matter of doing the work. It was a complete mindset shift. I had to learn how to approach academic writing and research differently.”

Despite the initial difficulties, Beatriz took a proactive approach to integrating into the Dutch job market. During her studies, she completed three internships – two at the tourism tech company Tiqets and one at another organisation. Although she had professional experience in Brazil, she recognised the value of internships as a gateway into a new labour market. “Even if it feels like a step back career-wise, it’s essential when you’re in a new country where you don’t understand the work culture. You don’t know anyone, you don’t have a network and you don’t know how things are done,” she explained.

She also noted the cultural differences in the workplace. “In Brazil, I was used to long hours. You’d arrive at 08:00 and maybe leave at 20:00 or 22:00. Here, people stop working at 17:30 sharp. That was completely new to me.”

Her internships ultimately led to a full-time position at Tiqets, where she now works as an Operations Specialist. The company, which sells tickets to tourist attractions around the world, has a diverse and international team. Beatriz is part of the operations department, where her responsibilities include product curation, onboarding and maintenance. “We make sure the information on our platform is accurate. That includes updating product details and working closely with suppliers to keep everything aligned,” she said.

When asked about her academic experience at Wittenborg, Beatriz highlights the diversity of the student body as one of the most enriching aspects. “The best part was learning from people with completely different backgrounds,” she said. “You gain new perspectives on how culture, religion and life experience influence the way people think and work. That was fascinating.”

Looking to the future, Beatriz sees herself moving towards process improvement and strategic operations. “Even though I have a strong background in customer success and marketing, I’ve realised that what I enjoy most is working with processes: understanding them, optimising them and making them more efficient. The engineer in me still speaks the loudest.”

Beatriz highlights that her multidisciplinary training, combined with international work experience, has given her a broad perspective that she hopes to apply in future roles. “It’s not just about being data-driven. It’s about knowing which metrics to track, where to find them and how to adapt systems in a way that makes sense for the company.”

To current Wittenborg students, she offers a practical piece of advice: “Try to go beyond the classroom. Apply for internships, attend job fairs and explore different fields. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do yet, these experiences will help you figure it out. You’ll learn what you like and don’t like, and you’ll meet people who can open doors for you.”