YES

O MARIDÃO RECEBEU O VISTO DELE HOJE PELO CORREIO!

Vou aparecer no jornal local!

Parece que aqui a 'je' anda a passar por uma fase bem boa em termos profissionais e pessoais. Não era para menos, têm sido 5 anos de intenso trabalho e sacrifício, como vocês sabem. Agora, com a cerimónia da minha graduação (e eu sei que não me calo com isto, mas para mim isto é realmente algo muito importante), as pessoas que sabem da minha história de vida deram-na a conhecer ao departamento de PR e Media da Universidade.

Eles acharam que a minha história era realmente muito interessante e pediram-me para redigir um texto... Eu estáva naquela de não mandar o texto, tenho andado cheia de trabalho na Universidade, ando a acumular trabalho de três cargos como vocês sabem, e como tal, quando chego a casa só quero mesmo comer qualquer coisam, ver a novela da SIC (hihihihi - graças ao meu amigo Miguel da Bélgica - uma beijoca grande!) e cama (a novela também acaba tarde, como sabem).

Lá arranjei um tempinho para redigir algo entre bocejos e preguiças, muito em cima do joelho, mas mandei a minha história. No principio desta semana recebi um email de uma pessoa do departamento de Media & PR na universidade a dizer que estavam interessados em fazer um artigo sobre mim, sobre a minha história e a minha batalha por um lugar ao sol no Reino Unido. Queriam entrevistar-me  ainda esta semana e tirar fotos da minha graduação (eu a receber o meu diploma do Mestrado).

Não sei se já vos tinha dito, mas o ano passado eu apareci no 'Daily Telegraph' graças ao meu trabalho. Este ano vou aparecer num suplemento dedicado às cerimónias de graduação da Universidade no jornal local, e possivelmente vou também aparecer no website da Universidade como parte da campanha de Marketing deles. A minha história vai circular por Hertfordshire e arredores, o que me deixa super feliz...

Para ficar ainda mais feliz... um certo Mr. Brazil will have to step up his game... Publiquei em baixo um resumo da minha história. Espero que gostem. Eu depois coloco uma foto com o meu artigo quando sair...

''My name is L., I am (still) a Portuguese mature student at the University of Hertfordshire, and this is my story...

I always liked to study different disciplines and subjects, because I like the challenge of studying something new, something that I am not familiar with. I think that’s what made me join the University of Hertfordshire as a student in 2004 – the desire for adventure alongside with the wish to take a higher education degree.

In 2007, when I concluded my BA (Hons) Humanities, with a major in History, and minors in Eng. Literature and Business Communications, I was not keen to pursue any Masters degree.

During the three years I was studying for my undergraduate degree, I worked really hard, many times taking on a work full-time schedule, often running between my job and the University. I had to work really hard to pay for my accommodation, my food and my books. I was studying full-time, so I really had to plan my days to the minute and make the most of my already scarce free time. Sometimes I would study at work, during my lunch hour – Studynet was an invaluable tool throughout my whole degree because it allowed me to catch up on the lectures and review all the lessons, something I did mostly at night.

For three years I had no social life. Dealing with homesickness and other challenges along the way made me stronger and eager to succeed.  I still remember when I arrived to this country... Full of dreams and hopes, I left my already established life in Portugal, and all that was so familiar to me, for the experience of studying abroad and enhance my CV.

I had £300 of savings when I got here, no job, accommodation paid for 3 months and absolutely no clue about how the UK’s life style was or how the UK’s education system worked. Adaptation was tough but I pulled it off after just one month. I secured a job selling handbags in a stall at the Galleria Outlet Centre less than a month after I arrived to Hatfield. After that job, many others followed, and step by step I worked on my qualifications as well as on my work experience.

When I finished my undergraduate studies, I did not want to do a Masters degree. The previous three years had been so hard, and I was so proud of my 2:1, that I just wanted to enter into the job market and start working on my career goals. I was 29 and time was running so fast - but my friends really encouraged me to do a Masters degree, as I was a very consistent, bright student.

I applied for the Masters degree and waited. In August, 2007 I was accepted at the MA Marketing. My natural ability to multi-task allied to good time management skills made me a suitable candidate to take more than one job on board whilst I was studying.  By December 2007, I was running between three jobs – one of them with Nespresso. It didn’t take long for some of my lecturers to notice me and on March, 2008 I was invited to join the Graduate Consulting Unit (GCU) as a Graduate Researcher. 

After that, it was one success after the other, thanks to a lot of work, dedication and a little bit of luck too. I finished my MA with commendation and was promoted to the Unit’s Lead Researcher that same year. I manage/lead the research/ projects undertaken by graduate researchers at the Graduate Consulting Unit, supporting the graduate researchers all throughout their work.

More recently this year I was appointed Blended Learning Programme coordinator, and I will be leaving the GCU to pursue that role on a more permanent basis.

Working at the University has also allowed me to continue my learning and I am currently undertaking my second Masters Degree (this time in Computer Science) in a part-time regime. I am not thinking about going home anymore and I have made the UK my second home.''