Iva Valdez, from a life of uncertainty to the doors of the University of Santiago

For a long time, I worked in various fields, seizing every opportunity that came my way, because I knew that my path couldn't stop there. I managed to get my professional training with a lot of effort, but inside me there was a dream that never left me: to go to university.

With the unconditional support of my mother and my emigrant relatives, that dream began to take shape. I finally managed to get into the University of Santiago, where I'm doing my degree today. Only I know the weight and value of that. It wasn't easy to get here, and every day is a new battle - but it's also a victory over everything I've already experienced.

I carry our culture, our music in my veins, because I am the granddaughter of a great man: Nho Raul de Pina, a Bravense violinist and composer who marked generations. Today he is no longer with us, but his music lives on in me. I had the honor of taking the Brava with me to university, and it was there that I had the opportunity to sing and perform "Sodade" in front of the Prime Minister himself. It was an unforgettable moment - not just because of who was there, but because of everything it represented.

Music, for me, is more than art: it's a universal language that crosses all barriers. In music, there are no hierarchies. We are all yes, we are all melody. And on that stage, I wasn't just a student - I was a voice that carried with it the soul of Brava.

There's still a lot to do, a long way to go. The road hasn't been easy, but I carry Djabraba's strength with me, which inspires me to keep going, to keep dreaming and to believe that anything is possible.

Iva valdez