Aldona, Dec. 1 -- JENIFER FERNANDES [emailprotected]

Gdynia D'Souza, 27, from Naika Vaddo in Aldona, always believed her hands held a purpose. Even as a young girl, she loved painting, art and craft, and entered every competition she could-often coming second, a result that never discouraged her but instead strengthened her determination. After completing her English degree at St. Xavier's College, Mapusa, and training as a pre-school teacher, she knew that someday she wanted to build a life around creativity, compassion and meaningful work. That moment arrived on an ordinary morning while she was riding her bike to work in Panjim. Her mind was full of thoughts, ideas and questions, as it often was. For months, she had been searching for...