“I just need a place”, as the girl from the interior who graduated from a Federal University proved that the study is capable of changing lives

In 2000, the IBGE showed that only 4.4% of Brazilians had completed higher education, proving that graduating is not an easy task, and not for anyone. However, the Brazilians also proved their strength, determination and resilience. Today’s story will tell a case where, even in the face of adversity, a girl fulfilled her dream of graduating.

O awesome.club held an exclusive interview with Talila Figueiredo, a young woman who grew up in a town in Sergipe and managed to graduate in nutrition. We want to share this story with you. Check it out!

“My father is a bricklayer and my mother is a housewife. Both lived based on rural work and going to the countryside was their reality. My father only knows how to read and write the basics, as he studied until the 2nd grade of elementary school. My mother studied until the 7th grade of elementary school. Their life was very difficult, full of obstacles. For many years my father worked as a mason in Salvador — Bahia, because the salary and benefits were better there and with that he would be able to provide a better quality of life for our family. We only saw him once a month, when he came to spend a weekend here in our village”Talila said.

She and her brothers never worked in the fields, as their mother said: “I worked in the fields and today I reap the fruits of it. But you will study and reap better fruits, because only study can change your lives”. Thus, the minimum requirement in this family was excellence in school and behavior, as they believed that both were related. “They knew that our reality could be different from theirs, that we could have better opportunities, better quality of life if we studied. So they did everything to make it come true.”revealed.

Talila was born and raised in Monte Coelhos, in the municipality of Tobias Barreto, Sergipe. The village does not have a telephone signal, but it is developed: it has asphalt, piped water, electricity. However, what predominates is agriculture, manual work. She studied all of elementary school in her village school. This school only offered the initial years, that is, it offered up to elementary school. Then, so that the residents of that region could attend high school, they had to go to another more developed town.

In 2015, he finished high school, took the Enem test, but failed to pass any college. “I didn’t give up, I had a dream and I knew that, for this to become a reality, I would have to get a scholarship at some Public University (that’s why I wanted the Federal one), because my parents wouldn’t be able to afford a scholarship. college”shared with our team.

In 2016, she decided that she would focus only on this: “I would study until I got my place at the Federal University”🇧🇷 The family could not afford preparatory courses, so he began to study on his own, until a friend told him that there was a free pre-university course promoted by the government. He spoke with the director and Talila got a place to study in that course.

After two attempts, she got approval. She came in last place and was the last nutrition pass that year. The placement didn’t matter, what mattered was the approval, because he always said: “I just need a spot, just one, if only the last one”🇧🇷 Her mother walked through the door crying, congratulated her and said a sentence that marked her: “It’s hard to see a daughter wanting to study and me not being able to give that. Today she got a scholarship to study for free and attend college.”🇧🇷

In the reality of their community, having a degree was difficult and perhaps impossible. Before, only those who had obtained funding could go to college. No one born and raised in that town even thought of applying for a scholarship at a university, regardless of the method. Most thought that getting a scholarship at a public university was impossible. Talila is the first person born and raised in my community to get a scholarship at a Federal University and, above all, in the course of her dreams. “What seemed impossible, became possible”, said. She was sure that the reality she lived in would not determine her future.

Since being approved, Talila has struggled to get aid at the University for the neediest students. She signed up, she got the university residence (a house where expenses were paid by the government) and also the food allowance (monthly scholarship worth R$ 200.00). 🇧🇷These programs kept me at the university until I finished my degree.” In the last year of graduation, she managed to be part of a project in which she received R$ 400 per month and it was with this money that she was able to cover the costs of graduation.

🇧🇷I knew what my family’s reality was and that they would not be able to afford the costs. The expenses they had with me during those years were minimal. Some weekends I came home, took the opportunity to take some food to my university house and they helped with transportation and food. By understanding my reality, I didn’t go out to parties to avoid having huge expenses🇧🇷 While I was studying, my focus was on living this time to the fullest.: I participated in congresses, courses, extension projects, academic league, monitoring, I did everything”, he recalled.

Teachers soon saw his availability and interest, which earned their admiration and respect. She was invited to participate in the publication of a book, with the great doctors of the Federal University of Sergipe. 🇧🇷I participated as a co-author of a book and, in the third year of graduation, I published my first book.”

“There is nothing to stop a highly determined person from achieving what he wants so much. Dreams are fuel for our life, they make us want and always aim for more. However, what makes this come true is determination and constancy. The presence and encouragement of parents are crucial in raising and developing children. Without the support and encouragement of my parents, I would not have made it this far. Fight for your dreams, they are the only thing capable of providing us with a better reality”, highlighted Talila.

It’s really amazing to achieve your goals and feel like you’ve won, isn’t it? Have you ever gone through a story of overcoming or know someone who has? Contact us or share your report in the comments 😉