CAMAGÜEY.- Next January Daniela Piñero will join the University of Havana. For those who a few days ago obtained a Bronze medal in the Ibero-American Chemistry Olympiad, studying this science is a dream that is getting closer every day.
“When you enter a contest you never expect to get this far. When you do the National and know that the preselection is only made up of the first 10 places in the country, it seems like something very big.
“Preparation continues here to form the team that will represent the country in international competitions. You overcome small goals, it is a journey, full of sacrifices but very enjoyable.”
— How was your training?
— Preparation does not begin when they tell you that you are going to participate in an Olympics. For me it was a process that started from the first national competition I did in eleventh grade. They are days of study, under the guidance of my coaches, former contestants and University students.
Daniela acknowledges that since she was given the news that she would participate in the contest, she began exhaustive training in which she performed many tests, studied a lot of content and had laboratory experiences.
— How much support have you received from your family and friends on this path?
— My family is a pillar, they have always been there since I decided to take on a Chemistry competition for the first time in ninth grade.
— How was your stay in Havana?
— It was a wonderful experience. I met many people with whom I share the same interests, my preselection colleagues, and professors and students at the University. Before the preselection I had never been to Havana, the first time was in eleventh grade where I visited many interesting places that make for a better experience.
For this young woman from Camagüey, obtaining a medal in an international competition represents an experience that, although with moments of great stress, is unrepeatable.
“When you look back and see all the sacrifice, all the people who have supported you, it gives you a lot of satisfaction.”
In the future, Daniela would like to dedicate herself to researching this science, it is a world that she is passionate about and that she also discovered thanks to her preparation from the IPVCE of Máximo Gómez Báez. They are goals that today seem as distant as those that she achieved today were at some point and they make her feel fulfilled and happy.
Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez