Adriana Andrade, Development & Communications Officer
Love Story at TBS!
Who would actually havepredicted, back in 1991, that a little bit of romance at a friend’s birthday party at ‘Mikonos’ would end up in “I DO!”? That is the amazing and beautiful story of Andrea Dantas´95 and William Makant´92. Dea completed her IGCSE’s in school in 1993, when her family moved to Salvador – Bahia. She lived there until 2003, graduating in Medical School, and then moved to São Paulo, for her Medical Residency in “General Surgery”. As some of you may know, William also lived in São Paulo for a long time, but he was transferred in 2003 to Salvador… Can you believe that? Destiny felt it was not time yet for them to remeet! Will graduated from TBS in 1992 – the first I.B. Class to graduate in the school. He moved to São Paulo and joined his father in the family company for one year. In 1994 he joined USP University and in 1999 graduated in Mechanical Engineering. He was hired by ‘Ford’ as an ‘Engine Engineer’ and was then transferred to their plant in Camaçari, on the outskirts of Salvador in 2003. It was another TBS Alumni who made the link. Isabel Cantidiano´96, a good friend of Barbara Makant´93, William’s sister, also kept in touch with Dea. During a night out with friends, just before Will moved to Camaçari, Bel mentioned that Dea lived in Salvador and that she had her number! William and Andrea had kept in touch, via letters, phone calls and fax (email was not that common, yet!) until 1996, but they had then lost touch… and now Bel had a current phone number! So you thought that was it? Not really! It was not until March 2004 when they finally re-meet! In the words of William: “Só nos encontramos mesmo em Março de 2004 porque a Andrea é uma pessoa muito difícil de se convencer a sair, …”
But in that same year Andrea had already made plans to move to the UK. She went to London for her Masters in Health Management. She now works at the “Healthcare Practice” at Accenture, a Consulting and IT company. After almost two years of a ‘long distance‘ relationship, many emails, expensive phone bills and a few trips back and forth over the Atlantic, in March 2006, William was transferred to Ford UK, based in London. He is now “Engine Supervisor for the Regulatory Emissions Program”, working with Rocam Flex engines for Brazil. On the subject of ‘family’ news: Renata, Andrea’s sister, also moved to London for her Masters in Architecture. Barbara, William’s sister, was in London during 2006, for her Masters in Law and is now in Paris for a two-month internship. But you can all be assured that they were all back in Salvador, on December 16th, for the wedding for Dea and Will! The British School family could not be happier for being ‘responsible’ for bringing the two of them together. We wish you both every happiness and success in your lives together!
If you have been a student at The British School, Rio de Janeiro and would like to let us know what you have been up to since you left school, please contact
Adriana Nogueira de Andrade ´94 at
(+55-21) 2535-2717 ext 164 and/or
aandrade@britishschool.g12.br