Black quilombola and MST settler inspire with important achievements

News like this is heart warming and makes us believe in Education as the best path to inclusion. In the last week, a black quilombola and a settler from the Landless Movement (MST) stood out by achieving important achievements in higher education and as the winner of student competitions.

João Santos Costa, 24 years old, black, quilombola, son of farmers and member of a humble family composed of 11 brothers. This is the portrait of the youngest student graduating in Medicine from the Federal University of Sergipe – Lagarto campus. In an article published on the Pragmatismo Político website, the young man recounts his difficult trajectory up to the eve of graduation.

According to him, since he was a child he was aware that the difficult condition of life in which he lived could only be overcome through study and knowledge. However, he knew that it would not be an easy path, especially given the reality of a community in which the vast majority had not even reached high school.

“I remember that there were times when I didn't know what I would eat during the day, or what I would wear to study, or whether I would have shoes to wear, but I didn't even think about it. in missing classes and even less in using such obstacles as obstacles to not seek knowledge and change his life”, recalls the boy who saw his parents as his greatest inspiration.

A lifelong public school student, João felt the difficulties related to the structure and teaching staff but, despite the adversities, he always stood out at school. In addition to the paid internship at the Public Prosecutor's Office in the city of Simão Dias, as a result of his good school results, the peak came years later.

At the age of 17, João was approved in third place in the UFS Medicine entrance exam. “I knew that studying medicine would have its costs, but I didn't let myself be shaken, I pursued my social rights and enrolled in the university residency program provided by the UFS and in the permanence scholarship provided by the MEC”, recalls he.

Coming to the end of the long journey of six years, the young man draws an important lesson that he wants to transmit to all who struggle to make their own dreams come true. “Today, I am proud to say that, thanks to my efforts and the support of wonderful people, black people have come out of ‘slave quarters’, the poor man left the countryside and the public school student is graduating in medicine at a university Federal.

This is the opportunity we have to study

Julia Kaiane Prates da Silva, 18 years old, is one of the finalists of the 10th National Olympiad in History of Brazil, the ONHB. A resident of an MST settlement in the city of Herval, in Rio Grande do Sul, the girl attends the third year of High School and Environmental Technician at the Instituto Federal Sul Riograndense, in Pellets.

The competition took place this weekend, in São Paulo, and Júlia embarked with her friends Camila das Neves and Vitória Camargo, under the guidance of professor Deomar Villagra Neto. The team baptized with the name “Lutzenberger” had the support of the coordination of the event to be able to travel.

The allowance was granted to five teams from public schools that obtained the highest score in each region. Organized by the History Department of the State University of Campinas (Unicampo), the competition The initial test consists of six online tests consisting of multiple-choice questions and completion of tests. tasks.

New to this type of competition, Júlia took the result of the Olympics as an inspiration for her own career. “With the Olympics, I started to admire the field of History even more. My goals are not well defined yet, but I want to take the Ufpel and Enem entrance exams”, emphasizes the young woman.

Júlia, as we commented at the beginning of the section, has lived for 12 years in an MST settlement in Herval with her mother, stepfather and two brothers. Her studies at the Institute were made possible thanks to a scholarship made available by the government that allows her to spend a week at a boarding school, with no cost for meals or housing.

According to her, this is the opportunity she has to study because, without the help, she would not be able to pay for an apartment. In addition to support, Júlia has help with the cost of tickets so that she can visit her family. The student says that the family's livelihood comes from agriculture, through the cultivation of soybeans, corn and beans.

Even with the daily effort undertaken, Júlia reinforces the prejudice experienced by the settlers. “Few know the effort and work carried out by these people”, emphasizes the girl who, like João, overcomes economic and social adversities to walk the paths of better living conditions through Education.