Cintia is pursuing a joint Master’s degree in Latin American & Caribbean Studies and Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC). In this program, she has added a minor in Global Studies and a minor in Gender Relations in International Development. Cintia is interested in understanding the intersection of feminism, localism, and alter-globalization, particularly in social/political movements in the Brazilian context. Currently, she is working with local organizations from Vargem Grande neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to understand the links between agroecology and democracy in the urban context.