Meet Samia, a PHD international student from the tropical northeast Brazil!
Her Campus: Where are you from?
Samia Dutra: Natal, Brazil
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HC: What are you studying at USF?
SD: PhD in Nursing
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HC: How is studying for a PHD different than undergrad and grad school?
SD: At undergraduate level the program is mainly focused on classes, papers, exams, lab practice, clinical practice, etc. PhD programs are mainly focused on research instead of classes. When you do a PhD, you perform a research at the cutting edge of science which requires to develop/contribute towards science with something new: new treatment, new instruments and new approach. This mean that as a PhD student you are responsible for your own schedule in contributing to the development of science, writing proposals, writing your own thesis and publishing a lot. The writing/rewriting process gets more intense: you spend weeks improving a paper and even after it is officially published, you still find characteristics that you would like to improve. The same way that the critical thinking engaged towards the development of science is endless.
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HC: Who is your role model?
SD: My role models are my dad and my uncle. Everything they got in life was merit-based, without stepping on others, but getting friends throughout life. I’ll never forget this sentence I heard in my childhood: “People can take everything away from you, but they cannot take what is in here (pointing to the brain). This you will take with you always, even to the coffin”. During my life the message was always: study, read, and improve yourself, that way you will make the difference wherever you are. This sentence has definitely marked me.
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HC: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
SD: I would like to make a trip around the world. I’ve moved to different regions in Brazil and learned to appreciate the different habits, culture, and ways-of-thinking, so it’s a really hard question to answer, but if I got to answer one place to travel soon, I would say Venice or the Dead Sea. Soon both will disappear.
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HC: What is your favorite food?
SD: Another hard question, but I will answer as strawberry with chocolate. But if you meant cooked food, my mom’s lasagna is the best.
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HC: What are some of your favorite hobbies?
SD: Watching documentaries, reading, hanging out with family and friends, cooking and spending the day at the beach.
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HC: What is your favorite quote?
SD: “Carpe diem” (seize the day).