Matheus grew up in Brazil and moved to Connecticut in high school, where he mastered academic English in record time, joined the IB Programme, and graduated as class salutatorian with a 1500 SAT score. Within just two years of arriving in the U.S., he had earned admission to several top colleges—including Harvard, where he is now pursuing a degree in Bioengineering with a minor in Computer Science.

Deeply committed to education access, Matheus founded two mentorship projects—Provérbios 17 and Valley Comunidad Latina—where he guided more than 40 first-generation Latinx students and their families through college applications, SAT prep, and academic planning, often translating materials and demystifying the process in Portuguese and Spanish.

At Harvard, Matheus has continued that mission as a leader in the Harvard Undergraduate Brazilian Association and as a founding member of BALSA, a nationwide network for Brazilian life sciences professionals. He also works at the Whitehead Institute at MIT, where he researches bispecific antibody development, and has previously contributed to health tech and FemTech startups in the Harvard biotech ecosystem.

Though Matheus thrives in the lab, he’s equally energized by people. He’s organized campus events, built websites, and mentored students from all walks of life. His long-term goal is to earn a PhD and become a professor—someone who builds knowledge while building up others.

Outside of academics, Matheus lifts weights, plays the cavaquinho (a Brazilian samba instrument), studies languages, and travels whenever he can. His own journey—as a student, scientist, and mentor—is still unfolding, which is exactly how he likes it.