Student Lua Afonso’s days were already hectic — the 18-year-old girl from Covilhã is 20 in all exams and subjects, plays the piano, is the winner of national reading competitions, is the champion of trail running and figure skating and has participated in several competitions related to space. But, after being mentioned in a speech by the President of the Assembly of the Republic, her life became a real whirlwind. “It’s gone and now it’s a little more,” she tells P3, excitedly.
It was in a speech made at the session commemorating the 25th of April revolution that José Pedro Aguiar-Branco told the story of Lua Afonso, creating a media buzz around him. He described her as “a brilliant student” and spoke about her journey, “from Serra da Estrela to the discovery of space”, and the desire “to contribute to the public participation of young people”. And he ended by saying: “The 25th of April is present and future. It is fulfilled when young people like Lua Afonso, who will have a bright future and career ahead, find space to participate in politics.”
While these words were being spoken, Lua Afonso was in Ponte de Sor participating in a CanSat Portugal competition, in which he had to create a small satellite. She didn’t know about the speech and was taken by surprise. “I only knew that the office had called me to invite me to be present at the ceremony”, he says.
To make up for his absence from the formal session, the President of the Assembly of the Republic visited the Quinta das Palmeiras Secondary School this week — where Lua studies (she is in the 12th year of the Science and Technology course). “If the Moon couldn’t go to the Assembly of the Republic, the Assembly went to the Moon”, wrote Aguiar-Branco on Facebook about the visit.
At school, they held a ceremony to celebrate the 25th of April in which Lua recited a poem by you about freedom. Because this is not just any date. “It’s a central date and it determined the way I live my life. If it weren’t for the 25th of April, I wouldn’t be able to do all the things I do, be in many of the areas I’m in”, says Lua. Furthermore, it’s a “very important date for democracy”.
Who is Lua Afonso?
Lua is still only 18 years old, but the distinctions are adding up: she won the National Reading Aloud Competition twice, won the National Oratory and Eloquence Championship “Voz — O Poder da Palavra”, she is two-time national youth champion of trail running (mountain running) and was also twice district champion in figure skating, which she has been practicing since she was four years old. She likes running and feels that it is this discipline that helps her “do the rest”. It will also be one of the students representing Europe in an international competition at NASA, he made a flight in zero gravity in the Portuguese project Astronauta Por Um Dia and his team won the award for Best Scientific Mission at CanSat Portugal.
“I am not a brilliant mind or a gifted student”, he makes a point of saying. He feels that the formula for being successful in all these areas is based on effort, discipline and his “very strong support base”. And she doesn’t like being used as a term of comparison for other students. “I think this is a huge mistake because each person is who they are and many people have no idea what’s behind it all. And circumstances are always different for everyone.”
With so many activities, how do you manage to balance them with study and your personal life? “It’s not always easy”, admits Lua Afonso. Have your study planned out so you can have time for everything. “There’s a lot of planning. At the beginning of the year it costs a little more, but then it’s a routine. My parents also help a lot”, says the student. For you, bringing together several areas of interest and knowledge is essential.
Reading is another of his passions. “I really like reading, writing and reciting”, he tells P3. It’s a taste that runs in the family: parents and grandparents have always read a lot. “Even the gifts they gave me, most of the time, were books,” he says. He can’t name just one favorite book, but he especially likes romance novels. With the array of activities at hand, he hasn’t had as much time to read as he would like.
Despite feeling like he doesn’t have much time to spend on social media, he feels like he spends “more time than he should” in front of the screen. That’s why he makes an “active effort” to keep his time spent on screens as short as possible. Lua is also a fan of Taylor Swift, a passion that began with her sister, and has played the piano since the first year of primary school. Another of his hobbies is making collages on a scrapbooka scrapbook. “Although I’m not very good at manual arts”, he jokes.
When she was little, Lua wanted to be a singer or a dancer. “I don’t know why because I never sang very well or danced very well”, he smiles. Now, his professional destiny is still unknown and the only certainty he has is that he cannot imagine “doing just one thing”.
Does the future involve being an astronaut? Lua is thinking about pursuing Aerospace Engineering, but she isn’t “absolutely sure” yet, because there are many areas she likes. “I realized that there were many careers related to space and it sparked my curiosity,” he tells P3. “It could be a way.”
Despite Aguiar-Branco’s flattering words that encouraged young people to find space in politics, Lua admits that politics is not in his plans and that it is not a priority, despite enjoying social intervention and politics. Maybe one day. “Who knows?”
