Zoom-In on Champalimaud - 2nd Edition - Issue 12

Zoom-In on Champalimaud: Joana Fontes

My name is Joana Fontes. I'm Portuguese and from Lisbon, but I grew up in Costa da Caparica and have roots in the north, in Braga. I graduated in Multimedia and I trained in computing. At Champalimaud Foundation (CF), I am an Administrative Assistant and I am content in my work. Away from CF, I like to be involved in social projects. In recent years I have been closely linked to Refood in Santo António, and right now I like to put my efforts into projects that need help.

Q. What pet would you like to have and what would you name it?

I already have a super dog!: super playful, super affectionate and a super companion.
That’s why he’s Super Bock! He's 40 kilos of pure playfulness and brown eyes that are as sweet as honey.

Q. What is your personal motto?

“Life is full of challenges that, if approached creatively, become opportunities”, a sentence often attributed to Maxwell Maltz. If we know how to take advantage of challenges in the best way, we can see other challenges. And how good it is to have new challenges!

But I'm also often reminded of the phrase “Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you're going to get” from the movie Forrest Gump. In life, all the chocolates we eat are like the moments we live (some sweet and others not so much). And the box is getting empty. But the palate is getting richer and richer, like life.

Q. What is your dream holiday?

It was the last one I did! Every year in July, a group of friends and I arrange to travel outside of Portugal together. Last year we went to Sal Island in Cape Verde. What a land rich in generous people! There I found an institution that helps children to study and young people to graduate – Associação Unidos para o Futuro das Crianças de Terra Boa. They had few resources and helped many children! When we asked how we could help, they asked for school supplies, since they already had donations of food. It is not easy to send packages to Sal Island itself, as there are no couriers or delivery services. In Lisbon, we got support from an institution and it was finally possible to send the collected material. The order arrived last week at Sal 😁! It will help 73 children to study.

Q: What are the best parts of your job?

Working at CF is working next to a bike path along the Tagus River. It feels so good to leave work and go cycling…I recommend it! It's having English classes, having access to a gym, and much more. There are few institutions that can offer these conditions to employees.