My name is Natália Saldanha Balbinot, and I am from Rondônia, a state in Brazil that is part of the Amazon rainforest region, within the humid tropics. I graduated as a Technician in Farming and Livestock from the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Rondônia (IFRO), where I developed a deep appreciation for agricultural and livestock production. This early training gave me not only technical knowledge, but also a strong sense of purpose: to contribute to a more sustainable way of producing food. I am now studying Agricultural Sciences at EARTH University in Costa Rica, where I have learned how agronomists and livestock specialists can play a key role in transforming food systems, making them more sustainable and accessible for everyone.

Currently, I am interning at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Stein Monogastric Nutrition Laboratory, where I am focusing on animal nutrition and sustainable agriculture. This experience is helping me refine my skills while broadening my perspective on how science can address global challenges. I truly enjoy being part of this field and want to continue growing in it. My long-term goal is to pursue a master’s degree, ideally in a field that connects agriculture with policy, so that I can strengthen the link between science, sustainability, and rural development, and contribute to advancing agricultural sustainability through research and effective public policy.