Vince Lombardi said: "Leaders are not born, they are made".

To this day I work my mind to think like a leader.

I feel that this is the only way I can aim and achieve my goals in life.

My family always strived to give me and my sister everything possible to give us

a good education, but because they are enterprising, humble and very hard-
working people, their willingness to teach us was only what was possible because
they had no higher education.

So, my journey from fifth to tenth grade was a learning process and I realised that
maybe I didn't try hard enough to ensure a good average, which made the 10th
grade weak, and only in the following years was I able to improve my grades.
This vision of learning in grade 10th made me devote myself to my studies.

This less positive experience of mine has made me learn, and so I will not let the
same happen to my sister, and I will give her the best support in her studies that
I can, so that she gets a higher education and succeeds in this difficult world.

The interest in socio-economic sciences came about because I consider myself

a determined and resilient person, so I created learning strategies which led to a
reasonable improvement in my average. I have been inspired through books, by
women entrepreneurs who share a common thought, to put women in a
prominent position in a society of mostly men.

Reading has been a constant presence in my life since I was very young, and it
is what I enjoy doing most. Through these readings, I learn a lot from different
authors and this knowledge helps me to solve problems or difficulties that I
sometimes thought were impossible to solve. Another activity that is very close
to my heart is volunteering. And since 2021 I have been part of two NGOs,
"Operation Red Nose" and "IEVV (Evangelical Church)", where I give it all and
learn from others constantly about Humanity.

As far as entrepreneurship is concerned, and looking back a bit, during the

second world war, women took over the work that was done by men and
specialised in the areas most in need. Today with inflation and the steep decline
in world GDP, I compare myself to wartime women. In times of pandemic, where
it was stated that it could be the worst time to invest, I founded a micro business
in March 2021 called Ce La Brie. Most people were in confinement, and
gatherings or even walking down the street doing daily chores, was impossible. I
have always valued the celebration of small/big moments in life, and Ce La Brie,
was not created for special occasions, but to provide special occasions.

Ce La Brie, complying with all health measures, is currently a company

specialising in catering and organising events (weddings, christenings, birthdays,
press events, corporate events, etc). Currently I am working in the area of
management and finance, my initial focus was to create a strong base, seeking
the best suppliers in national and international fairs, select my type of customer,
know the norms and laws of the area where I operate and learn how to manage
and make the company official. Excellence is not giving up on price and quality,
and this is what differentiates us from other companies in the same business.

I constantly search for knowledge and innovation, but that does not stop me from
making mistakes, I still have difficulty in dealing with uncommitted people and
also in understanding that there are waiting times and that it is not possible to
have everything always the way I plan, but I work every day so that I can do more
and better. In the future I intend to keep this project, but hope it will be just the
first company of a greater legacy.

In search of the best for me, I found HULT and identified from the beginning with
the vision that the University shares. The field of economics tends to solve many
of the world's most serious problems, and so I very much want to enhance my
knowledge based on these fundamental principles: The drive for not only
dreaming up businesses that transform the world, but make them happen.

What you can expect from me is determination, resilience and a strong character
that allows me to evolve and with your help, be an example and role model in
today's society of young entrepreneurs.

I hope, therefore, to have the privilege of studying at your university.

Yours faithfully,
Mariana Maurício