Angela has a very curious story. Today she is an aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu (SP), but what came before that is incredible. Find out how it all began.
And it starts with the fact that she became the first student to graduate with ProUni (Brazil's federal university scholarship program) at the campus, a decade after the program was created. She studied Biomedicine at Unip (Universidade Paulista) in Bauru and finished her degree in 2018.
Some time later, she began the Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Biomedicine, in June 2021. But in the interval between her degree and the postgraduate program, the biomedical professional's life had remarkable moments, such as an invitation from Dr. Ana Carolina Puga.
Learn the complete story of Angela Caetano, a biomedical professional who is passionate about aesthetics and is about to finish her specialization.
The Biomedicine degree
More than 20 years ago, Angela started biology at USC (Universidade do Sagrado Coração), in Bauru. However, after 12 months, she had to stop her studies because she could not afford the tuition. And at that time, she did not even imagine she would be an aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu.
In 2014, a new opportunity.
That is because 3 new spots in the quota for Black students opened at the same university. And she was required to choose another program, which would be her second choice. At that moment, Angela says God began to act in her life intensely.
“What seemed familiar to me from biology was biomedicine. I didn't even know very well what that program was. But, to my surprise, the Prouni result led me to that option. So I enrolled at Unip in Bauru and did everything I had to do”.
Teaching
During college, this aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu always wanted to teach. That is, to work in academia. However, that possibility would only happen if she continued her studies and did a master's, a doctorate, or other postgraduate programs.
But in the middle of the program she began to identify with the research field. So much so that she joined the undergraduate research program in Biomedicine. “I took part in all the projects and extracurricular productions of the program”.
Internship
The next step was the internship. By visiting various departments, she began to broaden her understanding of the biomedical professional's role, such as in hematology, cytopathology, clinical laboratory, and pharmacology.
At the same time, she also began to rule out some career possibilities. “During my internship at Hospital de Base in Bauru, I realized I didn't want to work in the routine of clinical analysis”.
Work
Even so, since she received a recommendation from the program coordinator, she saw no way to decline the invitation and began working at Unimed. In other words, the aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu had a daily work life far from what she dreamed of.
The routine consisted of preparing blood count reports, drawing blood, and doing urinalyses and stool parasite tests. “I saw it wasn't for me”.
So Angela had no choice but to leave her first job. “Besides not having the pay of my dreams, I couldn't stand the routine either. That's why I only stayed for the first 45 days of the trial period and then left”.
Change
Without a job, she decided to go back to her old profession, hairdressing. She had already worked in that career for 20 years, and that gave her the security to return. The change also included moving cities: she moved from Bauru to Botucatu, where she lives to this day.
And since the time she was studying biomedicine, the aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu had already been following Dr. Ana Carolina Puga on social media. However, she never imagined that she could change her life. “Since the first year of college I had been looking up to Dr. Ana, but I thought she was an unattainable dream”.
The Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Biomedicine
When telling her story to our editorial team, Angela says the following: “there is a backstory you don't know about, but I need to tell it”. And our suggestion is: keep reading and be inspired! This is the greatest proof that there are no unattainable dreams.
At the same time she started working in her beauty salon, the biomedical professional also had the idea of reselling cosmetic products. And guess what happened: “one fine summer day, Dr. Ana messaged me on Instagram to talk about that product”.
Skipping part of the conversation, Dr. Ana, who is considered the Mother of Aesthetic Biomedicine, asked Angela why she didn't pursue a career in aesthetics. “I call that God”, the biomedical professional says emotionally as she recalls it.
But the aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu told her the reality. “I told her that biomedicine was already a dream I had fulfilled, even though it was beyond my financial means at the time. I made it because of ProUni. Now, Nepuga was like a new dream, but still far from reality”.
From that account, from that fine summer day, from that contact from Dr. Ana, Angela's life changed. “So my second mother, whom you know as Dr. Ana Carolina Puga, gave me the opportunity to take a postgraduate program at Nepuga”.
But the story of the aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu doesn't end there
Angela Caetano, our aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu, began her Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Biomedicine in June 2021. However, at the end of that same year, she had a very serious health problem. What happened is that she could not take the hands-on classes at that time.
But, as you may be imagining, Angela is not the kind of person who gives up. At the end of September 2022, a little over 12 months after starting her specialization, the biomedical professional completed all the hands-on classes. “It was an intense month of lots of studying”.
And that wasn't even the best part. During one of those classes, the biggest surprise of Angela's life would happen: “I never imagined I could meet Dr. Ana in person”.
Now, with many dreams fulfilled, the aesthetic biomedical professional in Botucatu is already planning her next goals. “I'm going to do a master's in immunology and also the complete Pugacode course”. And that's not all.
Remember the initial wish Angela Caetano had, which was to teach? It is getting closer and closer to becoming reality. “I was invited by professor Gilberto Pergher to be a teaching assistant for a postgraduate course”.
And for anyone who thinks that's all: “I want to specialize in peels and I have a project to develop new protocols of acid combinations”.
Also read stories of people who fulfilled dreams in aesthetics
- Dr. Thalita Dutra balances two jobs to fulfill her dream
- Dr. Vanessa Tavares found the fulfillment of a dream in Aesthetic Biology
- Dr. Railda splits her time between shifts and studies to follow her dream in Aesthetic Nursing
- Nurse from Rio de Janeiro achieves her dream of starting a business in aesthetics
Irving Malaguti
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
