The sky is not the limit

Teenager shows that with willpower, dreams can come true

Mariana Moreira Akamine at Science Days Araçatuba - 2019 (picture courtesy of Mariana’s father)

A girl of big dreams. At the age of 13, Mariana Moreira Akamine is already venturing into the vast world of science. "I participated in some Science Days and it is one of the best sensations, because I can teach and share about something I like, being able to add more and more to the lives of young people, inspiring them to dedicate to their studies and to follow their dreams", said the young woman, who won a gold medal at the Brazilian Astronomy Olympics and took a big step towards the realization of her own dream: studying mechatronics engineering.

The interest in astronomy arose at the age of six, when the young woman dreamed of traveling to other planets and galaxies to explore the universe and discover extraterrestrial lives. "One of the phrases that I take into my life is: 'Somewhere, something is waiting to be discovered'. This phrase is from Astronomer Carl Sagan”, she said. Motivated by her passion, Mariana did not hesitate to sign up for the OBA, being classified as gold medalist. The girl pointed out that "participating in OBA means that there are no major challenges that cannot be faced".

Dedication and commitment. The student set aside a few hours of her day to learn even more about this area that fascinates her, doing everything she could to achieve her goals. The achievement, however, was only the first step: Mariana still sees for her future “working in a large space company, creating innovative projects and performing maintenance on satellites and rovers”. Mariana affirmed that "you have to go through all the steps so that at the end, when you see the results, you say: 'Another challenge is done and now it is time to prepare for the next ones that are yet to come'".

“We are proud to be part of the development of this new generation of big dreams. We believe that these young people are the key to starting a better world.” – Jefferson Michaelis

- Luma Keily
International Correspondent