Larissa Castro
JOURNALIST
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Who am I?
I am a journalist passionate about storytelling and building connections between brands and people through strategic communication. Throughout my career, I have worked in press relations, public relations, digital content writing, and SEO optimization, always striving to enhance brand visibility.
The beginning of my journey
I was a very smart and curious child. I could read and write by the age of five, and at that time, I wanted to be a nun when I grew up. I also dreamed of becoming an architect, biologist, astronomer, and chef.
Like a true Gemini, I was always interested in everything. In school, I enjoyed history as much as math, Portuguese as much as biology. I would fall in love with specific topics in each subject, and I could never decide which college to attend or which career to pursue.
At 13, I started my first blog with two friends. Back then, we wrote about teenage topics and everything we liked. I learned a lot about building a blog, design, and writing for fun. At 14, I began writing fanfics (a canonical event in the life of any teenage Justin Bieber fan). I built the entire blog from scratch and wrote three different stories. That was when I realized my passion for writing.
At 17, I participated in the first round of the Brazilian Physics Olympiad as part of the UFRJ team, coordinated by Professor Rodrigo Capaz. I also competed in the first and second rounds of the Brazilian Math Olympiad. However, I never wanted to pursue a career in these fields and never considered myself a numbers person.
Journalism came into my life like a wild card—everything I love, plus the chance to work with it: reading, writing, talking, asking questions, and communicating about any subject. When journalism appeared to me near the end of high school, my heart raced, and I knew for sure that this was what I wanted to do in life.
Academic trajectory
My journey at UFRJ began with a major challenge: the pandemic. Remote learning required adaptation, and during that period, I started working. Later, when in-person classes resumed, my routine became even more intense. I woke up at 4 a.m., spent two hours commuting to the university, attended classes, returned home in the afternoon, and started work at 5 p.m., only finishing around midnight.
Even so, I never stopped seeking new experiences. My first internship was at Portal Lorena, within R7, covering celebrities and reality shows. There, I learned everything from selecting news topics to SEO techniques and web writing.
I was also part of UFRJ’s Cultural Projects Support Center, where I worked with social media and content production for cultural events. Later, I worked as a writer at Mídia Ninja, covering culture, politics, and entertainment. One of the most significant moments was covering the 2022 presidential elections. Additionally, I participated in text editing for the coverage of the Qatar World Cup.
