Rafaela Costa

Background

About Rafaela Costa

I am fueled by relentless dedication and a drive to achieve ambitious goals. With a builder’s mindset and a self-driven approach to learning, I dive into new domains, master tools quickly, and use data to design solutions that last. When I commit to a project, I go all-in. Whether it’s building a company’s data warehouse from scratch or leading a team to tackle the impossible, I see challenges not as setbacks but as opportunities to grow, innovate, and deliver impact.One of my proudest achievements was leading a team to design and build a 2.5-meter-long rover for a NASA competition. With no prior background in engineering, team management, or fundraising, I rallied six talented students, secured in funding, earned coverage in 80+ news outlets, and successfully shipped the rover across the globe, winning two NASA awards in under three months.Today, I apply the same mindset in my role as a Data Engineer at EARNEST Partners, where I design and optimize data pipelines, build scalable data infrastructure, and ensure reliable, high-quality data flows that power analytics and decision-making. Whether it’s adopting new orchestration tools, streamlining architecture, or improving system performance, I push myself to grow and deliver impact in every project.Outside of work, I channel the same dedication into sports. I’ve played competitive volleyball and soccer, but my current obsession is Roundnet (a.k.a. Spikeball). I’ve represented Brazil in the 2022 and 2024 World Championships, earned a spot among the Top 30 women in the world, and continue to train and compete at the international level.I thrive at the intersection of data, product, and leadership, building solutions that push boundaries while bringing people together.