From Brazil to Interlochen: Ramiro Neto finds friendship, career connections, and new skills in an action-packed postgraduate year
Leaving his home country to pursue animation was a leap of faith. Stellar instructors, trips to famous animation studios, and opportunities to share his culture with the student body has made everything worth it.
Ramiro Neto (center) poses with Director of Animation Briana Yarhouse (left) and a fellow student on a trip to DreamWorks.
Growing up in Governador Valadares, Brazil, Ramiro Neto fell in love with animation through movies, but in a country where the field isn't widely valued, his passion seemed destined to remain just a hobby. That all changed when he discovered Interlochen Arts Camp. Now a post-graduate student at Arts Academy, Neto has not only found a community of fellow artists who share his passion, but he's also won the 2026 Interlochen Animated TV Pitch Competition and is preparing to represent the animation department on a national tour this spring. From navigating culture shock to becoming a team captain at the International Food Fair, his story reveals what happens when talent meets opportunity—and what it takes to turn a childhood dream into a future career.
When did you first become interested in animation, and why did you decide to study it at Interlochen?
I’ve loved animation since I was a kid. I watched a lot of movies like Zootopia and Bad Guys and I always wanted to do it, but unfortunately animation is not really valued in my country. So I was looking for opportunities elsewhere and Interlochen came up. I applied and I got enough financial aid so I could come to Arts Camp. I made a lot of connections there, and it was my first time being around people that really liked the same things as I do. It was also my first time seeing animation as a real thing I could pursue, not just a hobby. After that I got accepted to Interlochen Arts Academy. That was one of the best days of my life. It’s such an amazing opportunity to be here.
Ramiro Neto (center back) poses at the Future of Cinema Film Festival with animator James Suhr (back left), DreamWorks production coordinator Anna Kotyza (center front), and fellow students.
Did you experience any kind of culture shock when you first came to the U.S.?
Yes, I did feel a bit of a culture shock, because I came here alone—my parents couldn't come. The culture is so different, and it was hard being outside my comfort zone. Although I knew how to speak English, I could always default to Portuguese in Brazil, because everybody speaks it. I can’t do that here. Also, I had never seen snow before. In Brazil it can get close to 110° in December! But we have a great community of international students at Interlochen, and I have friends who are Brazilian and Latino. We all go through the same stuff and support each other because we all get homesick.
What do you miss the most about Brazil?
I miss the food and I miss my family. The food here is really good, but it's super different from what I’m used to. I really like the International Food Fair we have here at Interlochen. I’m a team captain this year and we are going to make Brazilian food for the other students!
Have you found ways to share your culture with the rest of the student body?
We have a soda in Brazil called Guarana, and it’s the best. The other Brazilian students and I bought a lot of it and shared it with our friends. And Kalyn Rabuse, the international student advisor here, is always encouraging us to make ourselves heard, giving us a microphone to talk about our culture. She understands what we’re going through and if there’s something we do culturally or religiously each year that we really miss, she’ll try to make it happen for us.
Neto (center) poses with Yarhouse and fellow students in front of Walt Disney Animation Studios.
How do you like your instructors?
Briana Yarhouse is amazing. She was the director of International Animation Day for the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (ASIFA), and she has great connections with Dreamworks and Disney. She took a lot of the animation students to Los Angeles to visit Disney Studios and Dreamworks Studios, and we went to LightBox Expo last fall. We made a lot of connections, which really matters in the animation industry. She’s always looking out for us as students, and she’s helping me find a summer internship right now.
What kinds of mediums have you explored within animation?
We have a class called Experimental Animation in which we try different types of animation. Last semester we did stop-motion with cut-out paper and lots of pictures. We use Cintiq tablets in the animation lab for that. This semester we’re doing a lot with clay and sand. I want to focus on 3D animation in college.
What do you want to do in the future?
It’s hard to build an animation career in Brazil because there’s not the same market for it there. But here, you can actually make a living with animation. As I’ve started to make connections with people who have careers in animation, I’ve realized, “Okay, I can do this.” Last week, we had the legend Brooke Keesling here on campus for the 2026 Interlochen Animated TV Pitch Competition, and I won the competition! This spring, I’m representing the Animation Division on the Imagine US: America at 250 tour. In the fall, I’d like to go to Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) or College for Creative Studies (CCS). On our trip to L.A., I fell in love with the city and the studios, so I’d like to move to nearby Pasadena. I’ll try to get internships there while I’m in college and hopefully I’ll be able to work at Disney, Dreamworks, or Nickelodeon. That’s my dream.
What advice would you give to an international student who is considering coming to Interlochen?
I’d tell them to apply! You don’t lose anything by applying, except maybe a couple hours of your time. If you don't know yet if you want to come or not, at least apply. Give it your best shot.
16% of Arts Academy students are international students. Learn more about becoming an international student at Arts Academy.
