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I was born in Brazil in August 26th, 1987, in Sao Paulo, which is one of the five biggest and most populous cities in the world.
When I was only 4, my parents got divorced and my family went through tough times for a few years. When I turned 7, my mother realized that she did not want me to continue growing up in a big city environment. Courageously, she found a job and moved to an island in the coast of Brazil called Ilhabela (beautiful island in Portuguese). This was definitely one of the smartest things my mother has ever done. My life-style changed from playing with my friends in the parking lot of the building where I lived, surrounded by pollution, to living in the middle of the rainforest, with monkeys and a waterfall in my backyard.
I had literally moved to Paradise. Growing up around nature has certainly affected my life, developing my strong love for animals and raising my awareness to the protection of the environment.
Well, a few years later Brazil's economy faced some extremely difficult times. So, when I was 13 years old, my brave mother, once again, decided to move to Canada in order to pursue a better life for our family. I stayed in Brazil with my grandma until I was 15 and my mother was finally able to bring me here to live with her. So on December 12th, 2002, I arrived in Canada. You can only imagine how hard it was for me to leave all the rest of my family behind, all my best friends, and a beach-culture life-style and move to a big, cold city such as Toronto.
It was tough to adapt myself to the weather, and most of all, to the Canadian culture. However, even at such a young age, I knew what I wanted. I knew that God was giving me a once in a life time opportunity – and I would embrace it with passion. That is why, since that cold day in December of 2002, I have been working and studying hard in order to achieve my goals in life.
My constant dedication enabled me to learn English in a very short period of time. Soon, I was one of the best students in my high school, winning poetry and essay contests just on my second year in Canada. I also got very involved in the community, becoming a proud volunteer, and joining the Student Council of my school.
My last high school year I certainly closed with a golden key. I won the election for presidency of my student council, graduated with honours, and won an unexpected number of awards including the Graduating Student of the Year, the Toronto Catholic School Board Student Achievement Award, and the CEO Catholic Student of the Year award. Needless to say, I made my mom very proud. Next thing I know, I won grants from the government which enabled me to pay for a year of studies and attend university full time.
Currently, I’m a 19 year old University student pursuing a double major in communications and professional writing, with a minor in photography. On weekends, I usually perform with the Rio Samba Divas, which is a Brazilian dance company that I was invited to join on my second year in Canada. Plus, in between those main activities, I manage to find time to pursue my modeling career, to take pictures and learn about photography, to learn and design websites, and write a few poems. Just in case you forgot, I've been in Canada for merely 4 years now...
My dedication, ambition, and eagerness to learn have already stood out, but hopefully, they will get me even more far...
Where am I going to stop? Only God knows. :)
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