Hello everyone, my name is Luna Sidrim and I’m from Brazil. I love to read, listen to music, make new friends, and travel to new places. I joined the master’s program of Tokyo NODAI in 2020 under the Special Exchange Student Scholarship, thanks to the partnership between Tokyo NODAI and the Federal Rural University of Amazon (UFRA), my university in Brazil. I’m in the Laboratory of Biochemistry in Plant Productivity in the Department of Agricultural Chemistry. My research aims to assess the effects of excess calcium in the homeostasis of essential transition metals, which might happen in cases of inappropriate use of inputs in agriculture.

So far, my experience has been enriching! I’ve been learning many new things and I’m making new friends. The professors and colleagues from my laboratory have been very welcoming and helping me to adjust to the new environment. The dormitory life is also great! I could meet many girls from different countries and get to know a little bit about their culture.

In 2016, I had the opportunity to visit Tokyo NODAI Setagaya Campus and its facilities through the short-term exchange “Re-inventing Japan Project”, and since then I’ve been dreaming to come back and study here. Tokyo NODAI is a very prestigious university, with a great infrastructure of laboratories and a qualified team of professors, and that’s why I chose to study here. Right now, my goals are getting the master’s degree successfully, travel to beautiful places in Japan and, hopefully, learn the Japanese language.