After a (well-deserved) rest in the morning, the afternoon was dedicated to the group of young adults who are on their final journey with Um Pequeno Gesto, our University Scholarship Students.
This year, Um Pequeno Gesto awarded 5 new scholarships to students who completed the 12th grade, after receiving over 40 applications. In total, there are 24 young scholarship students in various fields such as Law, Nursing, Clinical Analysis, Human Resources Management, Public Health, and Administration and Health.
The students have monthly meetings with a group of mentors from the Um Pequeno Gesto team on the ground, where they discuss difficulties, victories, and share concerns. In this meeting, we talked a lot about the challenges they face, especially in the first year, and for those leaving home for the first time. We asked the older ones to advise the younger ones and to give their own example of how they overcame some of these difficulties, in order to create a greater connection within the group and foster a spirit of mutual aid.
Next, we asked each one to tell us a story about what happened in the last year. Avelina, (studying Nursing and Child Medicine) shared that when she went to her first internship, she expected to work with pregnant mothers, as per the chosen course. However, her first task was to handle a body in the morgue! After recovering from the surprise, she did what was asked of her and was prepared for more surprises in the future! Chirle (in Public Health) shared her difficulties with oral presentations in front of the class, and how she struggles in those moments, so we shared some ways to deal with those situations and how some classmates more inclined to public speaking could help her. Jorge (in Clinical Analysis) recounted how he became well aware of the demands of the course when he worked on a blood bank requisition for a patient who ended up losing his life. After an inquiry, it was verified that all laboratory procedures were well done, but Jorge became even more focused on learning all the details of his course knowing the impact it can have on someone’s life. Henriques (who has just started studying Law) was disappointed to learn that to become a judge, he would have to be at least 35 years old, so he resigned himself to practicing as a lawyer until reaching the required age to pursue his dream.
These meetings bring us a lot of joy and hope in the generation that is forming and is in the final steps to achieve such victory for themselves. We remind them that we are not there just to collect reports, testimonies, and photos, but also to mentor them and learn about their difficulties and, of course, their successes. It was with joy that we celebrated Lírio’s score of 18 (who has just entered Administration and Health) in the Communication work. We cheer for everyone with great pride!