Daughter of street sweeper and watchman uses donated books to study and passes in Medicine

Angélica Oton, 20 years old, was approved for the Medicine course at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB)

“Even if it seems impossible, even if it takes time, it can work.” It is with this thought, a lot of dedication and the encouragement of her parents that Angélica Oton, aged 20, was approved for the Medicine course at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB).

Daughter of a street sweeper mother and a watchman father, Angélica dreamed of becoming a doctor since childhood. Her motivation came from her experiences in hospitals. Witnessing the work of healthcare professionals, she felt it was what she wanted for her life.

“When I was a child and had to go to the hospital, I saw the doctors’ routine and thought how much I wanted to help people, in the same way that I had also been helped.”

From humble origins, Angélica counted on the support of her parents to make her dream come true, who made significant sacrifices to guarantee her and her brother access to quality education.

“My parents have always been very supportive of me. They did everything they could to get my brother and me into good schools. It really took a lot of effort because they had to work a lot and give up a lot of things so that my brother and I could have access to a good education,” she says.

Angélica had been on scholarship at a private school since the 9th grade. “But my parents had to pay for school transport because I live in Boa Ventura, and the school is in a neighboring city, called Itaporanga, so it was around R$150 per month”.

Approval in Medicine arrived on the young woman’s third attempt. For her studies, she relied on book donations from another medical student known to her family, who had already been approved at UFPB.

“That’s how I had access and started studying through these donated books, which were my main study material. And if it weren’t for the donation, I wouldn’t have been able to access this material because it was from a very expensive course and outside of our reality. My mother deleted all the answers, which were many, which he [doador] I had already done the exercises in the books. My father was trying to print the simulations. And I was studying.”

Study routine

The young woman used to study more than ten hours a day. Every day, she reviewed and recalled the materials, using available resources, such as explanatory videos.

For her, the method of sticking small colored papers (post-it) on the wall containing specific topics and brief explanations also proved to be efficient. By reviewing the material in a quick and targeted manner, the young woman was able to quickly assimilate the content already studied, allowing her to easily recall important information and relevant details.

Another review system she applied was to fold a post-it note in half, write just the question on the outside, and then try to answer it before opening it to check the accuracy of the answer.

Furthermore, even without formal writing classes, Angélica did not fail to prepare for this part of the exam. She and a friend shared the costs of a correction platform, where they wrote texts and analyzed their mistakes and successes.

These efforts resulted in obtaining an average of 877.55 in Sisu, in the broad competition category, with the addition of the regional bonus.

“My parents were essential to this achievement because they always encouraged my brother and me to study. They fought hard so that I could dedicate myself to my studies without having other worries, so without them, this wouldn’t have been possible. When we saw my name among those approved, there was a lot of emotion, we all cried, even our neighbors celebrated. I think the message is: don’t give up on your dreams because the reward will come at some point”, highlighted Angélica.

EARTH SOURCE