Born in Brazil, Izabella was left with her grandparents when her single mother went abroad to work. She was seventeen and a sophomore in high school when her mother brought her and her older sibling to Medford. She graduated from Medford High School in May 2018 and started the Bridges to College Program at the Asian American Civic Association (AACA). She started her coursework in biology this fall at Bunker Hill Community College and plans to continue toward a Bachelor of Science degree, and ultimately attend medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon. The youngest among her siblings, Izabella was the only one to receive a high school diploma and will be the first to attend college.