How I managed to pass the UFMG with honors

The path to university was not easy for 18-year-old Nara Meirielly Santos Araújo. Daughter of a single mother, she is an example that success depends on effort and opportunities. Me, Nara: daughter of a single mother, living in financial and emotional insecurity, was passed first place in my modality in the course of law from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), one of the most popular in the country.

With no writing and only abstracts in blue and purple pen, anyone who thinks that the podium is for those born with talent is wrong. From an early age I was judged to be disorganised, as a child my drawings were almost always compared to another student’s in front of the class with the intention that everyone would know my “disgust”, and I rarely turned in homework.

From an early age, my sister and I had to live with family conflicts and financial problems in the city of Jaíba, north of Minas Gerais, our hometown. Daughters of a single mother who worked all day, we lived in favor and didn’t have much maternal presence, and none paternal. In this way my sister mothered me for a long time. This intensified the day after my 7th birthday when my mother, after months of unemployment, moved to Belo Horizonte to improve her life and left us to live with our grandmother in a house full of fights.

a distant dream

Despite the difficulties, I started to take more interest in learning and, with difficulty, I managed to get good grades in the state school where I studied during my childhood.

In 2015, at the age of 10, I went to Belo Horizonte and we lived there for two years. In that period I lived with different people, young people and adults, and I realized how demanding and painful life was for my mother who, when possible, reminded me of the importance of studying for the poor and how he was the bridge I would walk towards a better, comfortable life, with the free time and financial security that I have always dreamed of, different from the one she had always lived and that we were living.

I lost count of the nights when she returned tired from work and, cigarette in hand, sitting on two bricks in the courtyard that served as a bench, she advised me on life. At that time I had my first contact with the Federal University of Minas Gerais, even without knowing for sure what it was, I admired the students I saw passing downtown with the characteristic uniform, the name of the course on the front of the shirt and the logo of the UFMG ago. Through the news and the way my mother always bragged when there was a report involving the University, I learned of her reputation and automatically it became a very distant dream, but it was still a dream. And, watching from inside the buses the comfortable houses and the people who buy and eat on the streets of Belo Horizonte without worrying about money, my inner voice reminded me of the importance of studying in order to one day enjoy these things too – simple stuff, but that meant a lot to me.

new change

Two years later, in 2017, again due to unemployment, we had to return to Jaíba, leaving my older sister in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We ended up going straight to our house, which was never quite ready lol, but it was enough to live in and become a home. New school – the third like this, all public and state -, new friendships and acquaintances, however, the dream and desire to transform my life have never been new and they arrived with me from the capital of Minas Gerais.

It didn’t take long to meet Eliek, my best friend and pivotal character in my career. I made school my second home and Eliek part of my family. I have always looked for the best grades and best use based on my condition. Worry and fear of the future have always accompanied and conditioned us, but despite this my mother hasn’t stopped encouraging me and kept the extremities at home so that I could study without having to work.

The pandemic and the closure of schools in 2020 coincided with my entry into high school, not knowing what to do I thought: “And now, without schools, how can I study?” I soon realized it wasn’t going to be something quick and I decided to teach myself. The first year was the hardest, I was not used to putting together a curriculum, taking the lessons online, solving the handouts that the government made available to students, looking up the lessons on YouTube and still focusing on the Enem. I knew if I didn’t start pursuing him now, I would be left behind and college would remain a distant dream. All of this was supported financially by the salary of my mother’s servant and her and Eliek’s encouragement. Despite the difficulties, I kept going and was able to get used to the routine of the entrance exam.

Let’s go back to face-to-face lessons

However, in 2021, almost at the beginning of sophomore year, I met Safeguard. I was doubtful of the free services offered, but even so I signed up and soon saw that it was all true and that I had the full support of volunteers – no matter what resource I needed, they took care of me. So my second year of high school was much more serene and fruitful, above all because, at that moment, there was also the support of Salva, the only resource I used to study that year.

I spent 2020 and 2021 sorting out handouts for other students in exchange for money, income that, every month, I saved more and that I saved up to be able to pay for an online course in 2022, because I knew my mother couldn’t afford the costs. So, in January 2022, in my last school year, I finally subscribed to a study platform entitled to 12 months of access, continued on Save using the tutoring and handwriting correction resources, which for me were, like always fundamental.

My Enem grade in the first year was not very good and, despite the considerable improvement in 2021, it was not sufficient for Law in any public university, which were the only ones available, due to free admission and above all the student subsidy, which was important for my permanence In this way I adapted my routine even more, reconciling my studies with the return to face-to-face lessons, which I can say with absolute certainty, added almost nothing to my career as an exam student – I even needed to build the basics little by little, like basic math, essential in Enem, that I only learned by watching a playlist on youtube and downloading pdfs of questions on Google to fix the content. She also attended free online events, which platforms often made available, to connect with renowned college entrance exam professors.

Success after so much effort

I often tell those who ask me the formula to pass: “I took a glass of water, sat down at a table in my room and studied”, but it wasn’t easy, I lost count of how many times I needed to cry and then start an essay, lie down to rest after long lessons, go out to study in another environment because my room was too hot, after all the sun beats directly on the wall every afternoon, put ear plugs to cushion the outside noise, ignoring worrying about bills and expenses, or studying in bed when a visitor came because they only had two chairs in the house. My dog, Lilica, who passed away in January, made every process less painful and wiped every tear from my heart with her love, I will be forever grateful.

Importantly, the importance of keeping a healthy mind, I practiced physical activity and took time off on weekends, both to go out with friends, company that was never many, but which always lifted my spirits and respected my absence, because, after all, I spent most of my time studying or enjoying the break alone; is the famous “tell me who you go with and I’ll tell you who you are”. They have become my priority and I don’t regret it, this is essential to achieve success.

On exam day I was very apprehensive, but both Sundays my mother hugged me and affectionately wished me luck, calmed me down and I concentrated on giving my all, that’s what I did. The post-exam emotional load is boring and little addressed, I had an anxiety attack in the days following the exams and I didn’t have the courage to correct my test until the results came out, which, finally, after so much effort, I that was enough to get approval. Living in the countryside of Minas Gerais, inside my beloved warm little room, a table, a bar chair and a glass of water, daughter of a single mother, that same girl who had UFMG like a distant dream, the same little girl “disorganized”, years later is approved with honors.

I am living proof that success is not for those who are born gifted, but for those who make the effort and have the opportunity to receive help along the way.

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Vozes da Educação is a fortnightly column written by the youth of Safeguard, a voluntary social program that helps Brazilian public school students enter university. The founder of the program, Vinícius De Andrade, and the students assisted by Safeguard in all the states of the federation, alternate in drafting the texts. Follow Safeguard’s profile on Instagram @salvaguarda1

This text was written by Nara Meirially Santos Araújo, of Jaíba, MG, and reflects the author’s opinion, not necessarily that of DW.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.