Digital influencer Keira Riff is living her second exchange experience, this time in Los Angeles, United States. With 1.7 thousand followers on Instagram, Keira has been documenting her routine in the Californian city, including classes, tours, shows and the challenges of cultural adaptation. In one of her recent posts, she commented on the intensity of the first week: “First week of the exchange in LA and I discovered that it is possible to live 1 month in 1 week”, she joked in her stories, accompanied by records of the places she has been. But behind the relaxed content, Keira also uses her platform to encourage other people to invest in education and international experiences. For her, learning a new language is more than learning words: it is opening yourself up to the world. “Learning English opened doors for me that I didn’t even know existed. It’s not just about speaking a new language, it’s about connecting with people from different cultures, expanding your worldview and even discovering new versions of yourself”, she says. The influencer emphasizes that the exchange program goes far beyond the classroom.
“Being outside of Brazil takes you out of your comfort zone. You learn from your mistakes, from the hardships, and from the small victories of everyday life, like ordering a coffee the right way or taking the subway without getting lost. Everything becomes a learning experience,” she says.
Unlike the first time she participated in an exchange program with someone else, Keira has now decided to embark on it alone — an experience that she describes as transformative.
“Experiencing this alone is liberating. I learn to be self-sufficient, to deal with my own company, to trust my decisions. It’s challenging, of course, but I feel stronger every day. Every woman should have this experience at least once in her life,” she argues.
Keira also shares content on TikTok, where she has gained a new audience with short videos that mix humor, behind-the-scenes footage of the exchange program, and reflections on growing up.