Apprentice Sailors School of Santa Catarina receives 48 new students
By Lieutenant-Captain (RM2-T) Rafaela Tayão – Brasília, DF
Happiness, pride, dreams come true, emotions running high. This is the reality of the 48 young women who will be part of the first female class of the Armed Forces of the Brazilian Navy. They joined, on Monday (16), the Apprentice-Marine Corps School of Santa Catarina (EAMSC), together with 97 men, totaling 145 new students.
The Commandant of the Apprentice-Marineers School of Santa Catarina, Frigate Captain André Luiz Vilela de Assis, explains what were the main changes made to receive the future students. “My entire crew and I have been preparing for almost a year so that they, the apprentice candidates, could be received with the best infrastructure and support possible. Female bathrooms were created in the main building and in the physics and chemistry labs; the female accommodation that already existed was resized to receive the students, and all the internal rules were revised in order to adapt the school’s routine to this new reality.
Commander Luiz Vilela doesn’t hide his pride in leading the school in such an important moment. “It is a great professional and personal satisfaction for me, as Commander of EAMSC, to be part of this process that will be recorded in the history of the Brazilian Navy,” he concluded.
The expectation for the entrance and, especially, about the naval career is great on the part of the approved students and their parents. Marisa de Melo, resident of Criciúma and mother of twins Gabriela de Melo Gomes and Rafaela de Melo Gomes, approved in 9th and 23rd place, respectively, is very proud of her daughters’ achievement, but her heart is divided.
“My husband and I are happy and sad at the same time. It’s a mixture of emotions because they got where they are on their own, to their credit, and sad because we know that we raise children for the world. They are going to flap their wings and we hope that their flight will be long,” says Marisa.
The sisters are very united, make decisions together, and even wanted to pass a competitive public examination (there were 4,530 applicants for 48 vacancies). They were in the last year of high school, with classes in the morning and afternoon, as well as music and English classes. When they had time to rest, they did not stop, and used the opportunity to train for the physical fitness test and, especially, to imagine what a naval career would be like.
“Every day we talk about the career because there is always something curious or new to share. The idea of seeing the world with different eyes and acquiring knowledge that will accompany you for life is something very motivating,” says Rafaela Gomes.
Carolina Ramos Muros Gomes, 21 years old, approved in 8th place, highlights her dedication to her new career, which will soon begin. “My expectations are the best. I know how the military works, I’m going to give my best and try to stand out so I can have a good career,” she says.
Being part of the Navy was not only the fulfillment of a childhood dream supported by her parents and brother, but also the realization of wanting to be part of the first class of women in an Apprentice-Marine School. “It is an incredible feeling to know that I am in the first class of women at EAM. Actually, I was already studying with this in mind, I kept thinking all the time ‘I’m going to be in the first class’, and it happened!”, celebrates Carolina Ramos.
Carolina’s mother, Marta Ramos, says the expectation is great for her daughter’s admission, especially because it is a historical moment. “All of us here are very happy that she was able to pass this contest and that it is the first time that women will enter the Navy through EAM. Because it is the first class, it is a historic moment. Congratulations to all of them.
Virtual meetings The expectation for the entrance also involved countless virtual conversations since before the final list with the names of the winners was published. Mothers and candidates met at the Adalberto Nunes Physical Education Center (CEFAN), in the city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), when the Physical Aptitude Test took place. From then on they exchanged numbers and started chatting via messenger application, says Silvana Mattos, mother of Camilla Vitória de Mattos Cardoso, who was approved in 13th place. “Everyone met each other, we started chatting on WhatsApp and we all got together, we set up a prayer group for those who wanted to participate, and at each stage there was a lot of suffering. We are very happy with their approval”, she says.
The virtual group is still very active. Pictures of celebrations at home, videos on the road to school, on the plane, in front of EAMSC, on the day of the entrance, in short, everything shared with almost 50 people reveals how involved the families are. The candidates’ achievement and the cheering for them are very clear.
NumbersThe Competition for Admission to the Seamen Apprentice Schools (CPAEAM) 2022 offered 686 vacancies, 48 of which were for women. In all, there were 16,008 applicants, 4,530 of whom were women. The qualified women entered the EAM in Santa Catarina on Monday, January 16th, and will go through the adaptation period until January 29th. On January 30, the Training Course for Active Duty Sailors (C-FMN) begins and ends after 48 weeks.
Students from the Apprentice-Sailor School in Espírito Santo (ES) and the Apprentice-Sailor School in Ceará (CE) have also entered.
Source: Agência Marinha de Notíciasticias