She was born in Saracuruna, a small neighborhood located in the Baixada Fluminense, where her father and mother lived in a small house on a plot of about 30 square meters bought by her grandmother for 20 reais and later divided among 6 of her 7 children. She learned early on to enjoy life's small pleasures: there were no buildings, beaches, amusement parks, or big shops, but if she wanted height, there were trees, if she wanted to bathe, there were rivers, if she wanted fun, there was capture the flag, hide-and-seek, tag, and a thousand other games, not to mention the corner store, in case she wanted to go shopping.
Raised alongside her maternal family and her 26 cousins, she made the most of what childhood and geography had to offer. It was a small neighborhood, far from downtown, but that place was the center of her life.
Saracuruna – Rio de Janeiro https://images.app.goo.gl/aFF2bu43eZbAR2sP9
Image description: This is a photograph of a local market, taken from a panoramic viewpoint. On the left side, we see metal rooftops of commercial buildings. In the center, there are large, leafy trees standing out among the buildings. On the right, we find colorful stalls and blue tents, typical of popular markets. The sky is clear and blue, with a few scattered clouds.A bit younger, she started paying more attention to the limitations imposed on her life, wanted quality in her studies, new places, less time spent on what added nothing, and more prospects for life; she became aware of the crime, the floods, and how much that reality cornered her.
In search of better academic opportunities
won a scholarship and went to study at a prep course in Duque de Caxias. It was on the way to that neighborhood, at age 14, that she learned to get around to many places and walk on her own. The downtown area of Caxias was also known for its varied commerce, so she developed new tastes and new consumption habits. Immersed in the environment of the course, she had the chance to get to know other realities, other worlds and possibilities. If up until that moment she had only dreamed, now she saw the chance to turn what she wanted into reality, all while noticing just how much her horizons were expanding.
Duque de Caxias – Rio de Janeiro https://images.app.goo.gl/gqJUkXUwXp6f9feS6
Image description: This is a photograph of a city at dusk. On the left side, we see tall residential buildings with sloped roofs. In the center, there is a complex of commercial and industrial buildings, with a blue building featuring a vertical facade standing out. On the right, other low, older buildings make up the skyline. The sky is covered with clouds, giving the scene a light gray tone.After realizing how much she wanted to grow, she also found herself facing how much her reality was not compatible with her expectations; it seemed like all her strengths lost out to her shortcomings. Having come from a school with a low level of quality, it was a shock for her to see such advanced subjects. When she got home, she saw that that environment no longer aligned with what she needed in order to study and dedicate herself. By recognizing that she didn't have what many others had, she was able to see that she possessed something uncommon: she was hardworking and recognized the usefulness of what she had, instead of dwelling on what was missing. Applying these two principles, she persisted.
Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/GKuNyvxfKkj5JLwx5
Image description: The image is a photograph of a notebook open on a table. On the left side, there is a notebook with several colorful notes, including drawings and equations written in different ink colors. A yellow marker is attached to the page. On the right, there is a variety of school supplies, such as colored pencils, markers, and other office materials. In the bottom right corner, there is a black mouse and a partially visible book with a yellow and blue cover. The spatial layout is horizontal, with the notebook occupying most of the image, followed by the office items on the right. The colors vary, with emphasis on the yellow of the marker and the black of the mouse.As a result of her dedication to her studies, she managed to get into the Centro Federal de Educação e Tecnologia, better known as CEFET/RJ. In this new environment, in a context she never imagined being part of, she adopted as her life philosophy the idea that it's possible to get wherever you want regardless of your starting point. She visited libraries, the Lagoa, the beaches, trails, and joined a Rugby team that she found out about through a school project. It was through this project that she was called up by the Federação Fluminense de Rugby to make up the women's U18 squad in the state championship. She made some friendships and true siblings. She developed many projects. On one of her outings, at the top of the Pedra Bonita trail, she felt that her dream was no longer impossible, much less utopian: at 17 years old, she finally got to know the Cidade Maravilhosa.
Pedra Bonita Trail - Rio de Janeiro https://images.app.goo.gl/ND6ebmb4pJdhN7T57
Image description: This is a photograph of a cityscape with an ocean view. On the left side, there is a person sitting on a rocky cliff, looking toward the horizon. Behind them, there is a densely populated city with many tall buildings. In the center, there is a large mountain covered in green vegetation. On the right, the sea is calm and blue. In the background, there are more buildings and a beach with gentle waves.This was her trajectory, from her small Rio, that little world she was born into, within that limited reality, that world that was confined to Saracuruna, all the way to her Rio de Janeiro. But this isn't even half the story, because in Saracuruna she wanted to get to know Caxias, in Caxias she wanted to get to know Rio de Janeiro, and now, having gotten to know Rio, she wants to get to know the world. And the very same thing that brought her this far will take her wherever she wants to go, with effort and knowledge.
