I left Brazil at 18, trading the familiar comfort of home for the unknown Canada. With absolutely nothing but sheer will and a belief in my potential, I found myself working late-night server shifts while going to college in Ottawa.

Those service industry nights taught me what no computer science course could: the value of human connection, the dignity of hard work, and the perspective that comes from standing on both sides of privilege. On the side, I was quietly building my technical skills during whatever hours remained.

My breakthrough came not through traditional channels but by building in public. Instead of applying to tons of roles, I created Farelo, a social cooking app that solved real problems for real people. I documented every challenge, every line of code, every small victory on LinkedIn.

This approach led me to a role at a US-based startup - without a single intersection. But the immigrant hustle never stops. Arthurian Lab has been operating since January 2025 as my personal workshop - a place where I build and ship software.