Change can seem threatening. The unknown is full of surprises and challenges that we must face. Sarah dos Santos, 18, has gone through several changes in her young life, and she has grown with them.
In 2022, a cousin told Sarah’s mother that enrolment was open for the Valiant Girls project, which offers girls from vulnerable areas scholarships to attend high-quality high schools. Sarah almost missed the opportunity because she already had other commitments that day, but her mother insisted.
“My mother said, ‘You have to apply. It’s a good opportunity.’”
Sarah became one of those selected to receive a scholarship to a top private high school through the Valiant Girls project.
The change from a public school with few resources to a high-end private school was not easy. “I had never studied at a school like that before.” Sarah says that at her old school, there were no exams, only exercises and presentations. At the new school, there were about 20 exams per term.
“It was very tiring. I thought several times that I wouldn’t be able to do it.”
Despite the difficulties, Sarah worked hard and seized the opportunity. Throughout her first year of high school, in addition to regular classes from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., she stayed on for another two hours every day to get extra help, receiving guidance and support from her dedicated teachers. She spent about 10 hours at school every day.
“I would get home late, taking crowded buses. But it was so good because I made friends with the teachers and they would tell me, ‘Don’t give up, you’re doing well, you’ll make it. You’re very strong, a real fighter for being here.’ It was very rewarding to know that I was succeeding,” Sarah recalls, her eyes filling with tears.
“I have grown a lot over these three years. Not only in terms of school subjects, but also in terms of life. I have learned to have more confidence in myself, to realize that I can do it. I have learned to persevere, not to give up, to believe and to take responsibility too.”
Now that she has finished high school, a new chapter is about to begin in Sarah’s life: starting university. It is the next step towards a promising future.
“The Valiant Girls project has changed a lot in my life. It made me realize that I can be whatever I want to be!” Sarah concludes.
With support from the Grieg Foundation, the Valiant Girls project creates life-changing opportunities through education for girls like Sarah.
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