I received a high score in the national entrance exam (known as ENEM in Brazil), which made me eligible to win a scholarship to college. I was selected by the best private university1 in the country and ranked third in the list of those admitted to its Financial Management program.

Managing expectations

Since the beginning of my second year of high school, while working in a bank in parallel, my dream was to study economics. I aimed at the Federal University, which offered a recognizable program in economics. This dream lasted the two years I had to finish high school. During a vocational test and visit to the Federal University, I discovered that the classes would be in the morning and afternoon. This important information shattered my dream because working was a matter of necessity for me. I had to work to study, to pay for basic expenses such as academic books, transportation and food. I couldn’t afford to study on a shift other than at night.

In summary, I had to be realistic and find a program related to economics, where classes were taught on the night shift. Besides, developing skills that helped me find a balance between work and study remained my number one day-to-day task.



1 Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais (PUC Minas) is a private and non-profit Brazilian Catholic university. Recently, the Congregation for Catholic Education of the Vatican chose the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, PUC Minas, as the largest in the world.