OLÁ!
HELLO!
ABOUT
Hi, I'm Maria. I'm 22, from Portugal, currently based between Amsterdam and Utrecht.
Growing up, I watched two very different worlds up close: my mother is a ballet teacher, and my father produces and directs films. One built on discipline and repetition, the other on chaos with a deadline. I spent a lot of time in rehearsal rooms and on set observing how everything plays out, and somewhere in between, both taught me to notice what actually holds an audience.
That question followed me through three years at an arts high school and into my degree in Media and Culture, Utrecht University. Not just how something is made, but why people respond to it at all. It's what pulled me toward strategy and digital marketing, the part of the process that decides what a message is even for, before anyone's written a word of it.
Outside of work, I read and write, go to dance classes most weeks, and try to get everyone I know in the same room for board games and long dinners whenever I can.
Looking for a traineeship or junior role in strategy, digital marketing, or something that sits between the two.
CONTACT
mariasimasvieira@gmail.com
A few pieces of work from university and high school that show how I think, not just what I studied.
SCHOOL / UNIVERSITY RELEVANT PROJECTS
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A cultural expression analysis of the book Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus for the university course Gender, Intersectionality and Cultural Critique.
This essay explores the main female character, Elizabeth Zott, through a feminist lens and her role in opening the space for debate about women’s role in society.
Full essay here.
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Analysis of the artworks in the exhibition Delinking and Relinking in the Abbemuseum Collection for the university course Audiences for Art, Photography and Film.
The artworks in the exhibition rely on a multi-sensory experience where visitors can interact with the art pieces. In this essay, I selected a few artworks and explored the role of sensory engagement in shaping the audience’s emotional engagement.
Full essay here.
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Although not a university project, this final high school project is very important to my creative journey. That is why I decided to share it here.
This project captures Cova do Vapor, a coastal region located near Lisbon, Portugal, through a series of documental/landscape photographs.
Full Project here.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Alongside the usual jobs everyone picks up along the way, cafés, retail shifts, whatever paid the bills, these are the three that actually shaped how I think about the work I want to do next.
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In July 2025, I did a one-month PR volunteer internship with Bacchus Agency in London.
I worked alongside the team on research and creative brainstorming for client campaigns, and picked up how a PR agency actually runs day-to-day, from pitching ideas to handling the details behind them.
This helped me learn how to work with a team on a project and how to use creativity to problem-solve. It's the closest I've come to the kind of work I want to keep doing.
Recommendation letter here.
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For the past 2 years of my bachelor's, I have been part of this community project based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, called Social Haus.
Our mission is to connect people from any background through social events, from pub quizzes and dinner parties to collaborations with a running club.
I was involved in creative brainstorming, organising events from the ground up, and running our TikTok to get people through the door.
See some of our events here -
I worked at Urban Outfitters as a sales assistant for 1 year and a half.
Alongside the day-to-day of helping customers and keeping the store running, I picked up a lot about working under pressure as a team, and after almost two years on the shop floor, I started noticing the marketing decisions behind why people actually walk in.