Trust yourself!

Abstract

People who are afraid of mathematics do not realize that basicmathematics is innate in human beings, like speaking. It is a universal lan-guage that allows us to communicate with people of any nationality, age, raceor gender and understand each other. Mathematics is a collective social con-struction; it is everywhere and trains us to look and understand how thingsare related. This ability to understand with critical thinking is a very powerfuland increasingly necessary tool. Mathematics is also a passion and a source ofgreat satisfaction. Of course, hard work is essential as it is in so many otherhuman activities, including sports and arts. And a career in mathematics facesmany challenges that all the chapters in this book address with dierent stylesand perspectives.This text is a summary of my experience as a female mathematicianfrom a South American country. I hope that even if my circumstances wereparticular, it could be useful to transmit some of the challenges I had to face.My message is summed up in the title: a crucial key is to trust yourself.