reasons that brought me apply for this scholarship
I hope this letter finds you well. I write to you in order to share my story and the reasons that brought me apply to the Stipendium Hungaricum Programme, as well as the skills and aptitudes I can bring to Hungary and the Óbuda University.
I've always been curious and hardworking - when I was about 12, I started to investigate into many aspects of design, most of the time, I'd use Photoshop to make layouts, and then code them by hand, using just the notepad app and many HTML guides in magazines I'd get from my mom's work. That curiosity helped me passing State exams for a Advanced Education Centre, that offered a three year technical specialization along with the regular High School programme. The specialization options were Creative Writing, Audiovisual and Game-Orientated Programming. As I could not choose, I took all of them on the first year, and successfully acted as a "bridge" between the three departments on the two subsequent years, helping to coordinate study groups and integrated projects, such as interactive movies and other applications. After graduating, I took the national university access exam, getting accepted at our biggest Federal University, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ.
My family's life has always been hard - my mom, an elementary teacher, provided alone for us (me, three sisters and my dad, who had to leave his job due to the lack of kindergartens). I started freelancing during High School to help and, by the time I was first accepted at UFRJ for a bachelor degree, I had to put it aside and get a full time job.
In the following years, I kept taking the exams, and was approved to three different bachelor programmes (Library science, nursing, and mortuary sciences) in State and National institutes, never being able to attend due to my working hours. Working from late morning till the night, I was able to get a technical degree in Interior Design and study many other subjects online.
Finally, I got a job at the City Hall, which gave me flexible hours, so that I was accepted and able to attend a Psychology and Neuroscience bachelor at a State University. I had an amazing freshman year, during my sophomore our country went into a big economic crisis and, once more, I had to leave my studies. Still, I was not to give up and, after a lengthy process, I got a job as Photographer and lecturer onboard a cruise ship. I spent three whole years working, falling in love with the world and studying in all my free time.
During three years onboard ships, I worked my way up to Laboratory Technical Manager and met many people. One of them plays a big part on my decision: her name is Andrea Nagy and with her learned many things about Hungary. Amazed by all of it, I did many researches and came to a plan: on December 5th I stole one of her shoes, filled it up with all the candies I had, and left a "happy Mikulás" note with it, so she would feel at home even though we were miles away. Naggles, as we called her, came down in tears, saying that this was her best Christmas ever. That was when it hit me how beautiful, special and singular the hungarian culture and traditions are, and how I wanted to live and to know more of it.
As of 2020, with a better government and economic practices in place, I saved enough money to come home and finally get back on tracks.
Today, I write you this letter completely assured that the programme I apply for, Industrial Product Design Engineering, will be a great step towards my biggest goals in life: be able to give my family a better life, get higher formal education and someday be able to bring my design and gaming experience to the health field, helping on the creation of tools and facilitators for medical treatments, mainly regarding psychological and neurological health. And, of course, nothing would make me happier than having the opportunity of ticking those boxes while calling Hungary home.
Life presented me with many obstacles but nothing was ever enough to stop me, I always find strength, courage and persistence to keep moving forward. Thank you for taking your time to read this letter and considering my candidacy for the scholarship. As my favourite writer, Jack Kerouac, once said: "Something good will come of all things yet".
Again, thank you.
Kind regards,
