Joana was still a child when she left everything she knew in Brazil to come to Amsterdam with her single mother and sister.
Joana is still a child now and has been volunteering in our project for the last two years.
And like any other child, Joana dreams big. She dreams of better opportunities, new environments, and new challenges.
She was brought up in Ceilândia, a suburban city close to the capital. Reality was never easy for her, even as a child trying to exercise her right to go to school. In her hometown, violence in schools is common. Violence in the streets is common. Joana has experienced the struggles of an unequal society from a very early age.
However, Joana had an escape from all this: she was, and still is, a passionate reader. She enjoys fantasy, romance, and storylines that take her away from the challenges of her reality.
Joana is currently completing her third year in HAVO and pursuing a new challenge: learning English. As she could never set her passion aside, she challenges herself by borrowing English books from public libraries in the city. Reading in a third language has started to ignite her ambition even more; Joana wants to fully express herself, have day-to-day conversations, and interact with all kinds of people in the multicultural city she lives in.
Thankfully, with the help of the other volunteers in our project, Joana has been receiving free conversational English classes. Recently, her teacher—who is also a professor at the University of Amsterdam (UVA) —scheduled one of their classes to take place on campus.
When Joana followed the directions and entered the university's wide, modern buildings for the first time, she was overcome with tears and emotion. Joana still cannot believe how big these institutions actually are. She had heard of them, but couldn’t picture it. Being inside that environment for the first time made her wonder: imagine if one day I am able to study in a place this big?
Joana is still a child. Joana still has no idea that educational places like this are not only big in buildings. She still has no idea how much this could open her mind; how much her passions, skills, and interests could flourish. How vast the knowledge, research, and innovation are, and how wide the doors can open for her.
Step by step, our job is to try to bring her a little bit closer to that scenario. To embrace her, strengthen her confidence and curiosity, and equip her to be a wonderful learner. She already has most of what it takes to dream higher.
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