I have known that I wanted to be a journalist since I was 15 years old. I imagined myself working for a newspaper, a TV station or a magazine until I attended a lecture on radio journalism and fell in love with this “new” media. After school, I would go home and listen to the news on the radio and read stories out loud, getting ready for the day that I would apply for a job in a radio station. 

While I was still in school, I got an internship at a radio news station in São Paulo, collecting information about the metropolis’ chaotic traffic. Those were just the first steps of my career in radio. Later I worked as a radio producer and as a live news reporter, and grew even more passionate about the dynamic of the studio.

I was living in my hometown in Brazil when I learned that the Portuguese Section of the United Nations Radio was looking for a Production Assistant. As a journalist I had always wanted to experience working overseas, while at the same time gaining a better understanding of my own roots and culture. This was my chance. As the recruitment process went further, I got more and more enthusiastic about the idea of working for the Department of Public Information at the United Nations.

I moved to New York in 2008 to join the United Nations as a Radio Production Assistant in the General Service category. In 2013, I passed the Young Professionals Programme Examination (YPP) in the Radio Production job family and started working as an Associate Radio Producer in the same office. 

At the Portuguese Unit of UN Radio, we broadcast for Portuguese speakers around the world. It is our responsibility to inform the public about what is happening - not only at the General Assembly or at the Security Council - but also behind the scenes. For example, we show how the United Nations provides humanitarian assistance during a crisis, or highlight the work of UN agencies. 

Always having something new to research is priceless to a journalist, and knowing that it is up to you to go beyond expectations and make your story even better keeps your motivation high.  A typical day begins with an internal meeting where plan our coverage. Then we try to find interviewees who speak Portuguese to simultaneously enrich our story and get closer to our audiences. After the story is written, we record it, edit it and upload it to the UN Radio website. 

These stories are used by external radio stations that have established partnerships with UN Radio’s different language units (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese and Kiswahili), which then download and broadcast them for their own audience. We are also engaged in social media and attract a wider audience by tweeting and posting the stories on the UN Radio Facebook page. 

We are helping to bring the work of the United Nations, both in the missions and in Headquarters, to the front of the stage, raising awareness on issues that need to be discussed. At the end of the day, knowing that I have the chance to write a story that will bring some hope to the world makes me happier.

Keeping people informed is my role as an international civil servant, my part as a piece of the new generation working for the United Nations. Public Information is my passion; find yours and do not give up on it. If you happen to take the Young Professionals Program Examination, don’t get discouraged by the high level of competition. Yes, it is competitive, but fight for your place. I failed the first time; on the second try, I prepared better and worked harder. When you pass, you will be a winner and that will be the beginning of your path in this Organization.