Deborah received her BA in Government from Smith College in 2009. Her first job as a mentor for at-risk youth in Cambridge, MA set the tone for her career path. Upon returning to Brazil she worked in Niteroi, RJ, establishing partnerships between local NGOs and a British voluntourism organization. In 2013, Deborah decided to explore her interest in international education and joined EducationUSA as an educational adviser. This experience was decisive in helping her chose the next step, which was to pursue an MA in International Comparative Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education.