Overview

From the crowded streets of São Paulo to the wide, unfamiliar skies of the American Midwest, Damaris Melo-Gyasi has spent her life crossing borders-geographical, cultural, economic, and spiritual. In this gripping and deeply personal memoir, she reveals how a young Brazilian girl with big dreams learned to survive, rebuild, and rise in a world that repeatedly told her she was ""too much."" With unflinching honesty and unexpected humor, Damaris chronicles the highs and heartbreaks of forging a life far from home: navigating immigration and breaking through professional and personal ceilings, and discovering what resilience really feels like when no one is watching. Through every twist, she writes with the clarity of someone who has lived through fire-and come out shining. At its heart, Making My Way is a powerful meditation on ambition, identity, and the systems that shape us. Damaris' story is for anyone who has dared to dream beyond their circumstances-and discovered that perseverance, faith, and grace may be enough to build an entirely new life.

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Reviews

""This thought-provoking work also got me thinking about how upbringing influences who we become."" -Frank Mutuma for Readers' Favorite ""...an inspiring true story that illustrates the importance of resilience, perseverance, and resolve..."" -Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite ""Readers who enjoy memoirs about immigration, faith, ambition, and women forging unexpected futures will find Making My Way especially compelling."" -Carol Thompson for Readers' Favorite ""...a deeply moving memoir that reminded me of the importance of not giving up even when faced with failure or rejection."" -Doreen Chombu for Readers' Favorite ""...one of the most captivating and suspenseful memoirs I have ever read. The ups and downs that Damaris Melo-Gyasi went through will have you on the edge of your seat and rooting for her."" -Luwi Nyakansaila for Readers' Favorite

Author Information

Damaris Melo-Gyasi is an architect, entrepreneur, and storyteller whose life has been shaped by faith, discipline, and an unrelenting belief in possibility. Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, she grew up in a working-class, Pentecostal household where ambition was not encouraged, resources were scarce, and obedience was expected. From an early age, she learned how to make do, speak up, and keep moving forward-even when the path was unclear.Determined to become an architect, Damaris pursued her education across borders, languages, and systems not designed for her. Her journey eventually led her to the United States, where she rebuilt her life from the ground up-earning her place in the profession, securing legal status through work, and forging a career rooted in purpose and service. Today, she leads a mission-driven architecture and design practice, working at the intersection of community development, equity, and the built environment.

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