Interview with Laina Luna
“Just like that clay buddha, I believe we all have our inner gold.” – Marcelo Peterlini
From the countryside of Goiás, in a small town near the Federal District in Brazil, Laina grew up, discovered herself, and became the source of charisma, wisdom, and inspiration she is today. Laina met LALA when she was still in high school, signed up, and took part in the second virtual Bootcamp, VLB2. Laina, however, goes far beyond her academic experiences.
During her high school, which was a somewhat troubled period, Laina showed herself to be an extremely strong and courageous person. She had the strength to overcome the challenges that came before her and draw strength where most of us would not be able to. She also proved herself brave when, even though shy, she decided to face her fears and participate in her city’s theater company. When asked what she would take from theater to her life, she said, “From the theater, I would take freedom. The freedom to be, feel, and be as you want without being judged.”
After graduating from high school in 2019, he decided to take a gap year to entirely focus on getting to know himself better. Since then, she has been engaging in various activities within the community, such as her participation in the Admissions Office and her work as Alumni Coordinator for Admissions and Trainee Manager at VLB5. However, her activities didn’t stop there, Laina also had the opportunity to be part of the Global Citizen Year, a project that promotes leadership for young people around the world, and she was approved as BRASA Pre-mentee, a BRASA program that helps young people from low income and with good grades and extracurriculars to study abroad, in addition to engaging in various activities in her city.
Laina has participated and still takes part in several activities, but according to her, LALA will always occupy a unique space in her heart. From meditation sessions to work meetings, she sees something special in each of these moments. If she could only mention one of the many memorable moments within LALA, she would quote a story that Marcelo Pertelini told in one of the V-camps he facilitated: “The story of the clay buddha statue that, despite being big, was ignored because it was made of clay. Until, when showing cracks, they discovered that clay was just a form of protection for the beautiful golden underneath. Since then this buddha has become a tourist spot, and just like that clay buddha, I believe we all have our inner gold.”
Laina has been revolutionizing the world inside and outside of LALA, enchanting not only us but everyone who has the privilege of knowing a little about her history. It is a pleasure for all of us at LALA to be able to contribute to your development, and may you continue to shine and impact for a long time!
This is story was written by Maria Cecilia Santana, a member of LALA’s Storytelling Team.
