Studying in the United States gave Carmen Damazio-Medeiros opportunities she didn’t have growing up in Brazil. Carmen discovered accounting classes after she moved to the US, and our 3rd runner-up will use her $100 scholarship toward a bachelor’s degree in the field.
We wish Carmen the best of luck in her accounting career!
3rd Runner-Up
Carmen Damazio-Medeiros
Florida International University
Scholar of Two Countries
School has always been the pillar of my professional and social life. So, I sometimes wonder how different my life would be if I had had the opportunity to study in the United States since first grade. After twelve years of living and studying in the United States, I value the way Americans recognize those who perform well and at the same time support and help those with emotional and physical limitations. To study in the United States gives me the opportunity to achieve knowledge as well as an economic and professional status that I never thought possible in Brazil.
I remember my first teachers in elementary school and how dedicated they were at the task of helping us with the writing of the first words, with the reading of the first sentences. However, Brazil’s limited school budget didn’t allow for the creation of programs to address children’s social, financial and emotional problems as well as their relationship with other students. For me, a thin and weak child with poor performance at sports was a lonely time. I wish my school had programs to help me understand that even not being an athlete I still could be a champion by excelling academically. During the time I studied in Brazil, I never heard of Student Life Office, Life Handbooks or Students Rights and Responsibilities Handbooks. I never saw bumper stickers with phrases like “My child is student of the month”.
High school was a time of plenty of didactic materials but lacked programs or personnel to fill the needs of teenagers at a time of important questions on future employment, career choice and family. Indeed, I finished high school without receiving school help on the decision of what would be my next step. I can’t stop thinking how easier it would have been if at that time I had had access to American high school extracurricular activities such as musical groups, science fairs, debate teams, the school newspaper and academic clubs, as well as programs in professional orientation. Today, I understand that I probably would have chosen a major in Accounting instead of Journalism and instead of starting work at fifteen years old I would have listened to my mothers’ wise words and dedicated myself to school full time for a few more years.
My grades from high school were really good and I was near the top of the class. I had great potential that got lost when I started college in Brazil. The University lacked programs and materials to prepare the students for their future roles in society. There was no focus on topics such as employment, job interviews, individual skills or life after graduation. We didn’t have an on campus library or tutors. Students and teacher shared the same class but there were few exchanges of ideas and little accomplishment. After four years of working full time five days a week and traveling daily two hours each way to the University, I received my Bachelor’s in Social Communication. However, there were few jobs available and the University had not given me enough knowledge to compete with students from upper class universities, nor did I know anyone in the field who could help me find a job as a Journalist. I had come to a dead end.
I never gave up studying. I took secretarial, English and Spanish classes. I knew that when given the right opportunity I would succeed. The time to succeed came when I moved to the United States and life gave me a new perspective, a new career and a brighter future. Two years after my arrival I started taking Accounting classes in a public school and soon after I got a job working in an Accounting Department. After receiving my vocational certificate and my Bookkeeper certification I went for an Associate in Arts degree. Each “A” at Miami Dade College gave me a better understanding of how I could go further with programs for honor students and scholarships.
There is no limit to what one can accomplish living in a country that values the skills and dedication of each student and understands that each citizen’s success matters to the future of its nation. Living in my country, I would start to think about retirement at the age of forty; living in Florida, I see my neighbors working and being professionally productive at the age of seventy. I wonder how much more I can accomplish in life. I have being working in Accounting for nine years and now I am working towards a bachelor in Accounting which is essential for my advancement in the career I like so much and perform so well.
Carmen never gave up, and neither should you. Whether you want to learn a new language, live in a different country or find a new profession, you should use all of the resources that are available to you in order to make it happen.
