A young woman named Maribel became an inspirational character when the university where she was a lecturer first adopted a wellness programme. Maribel took a cavalier attitude towards fitness, and joked that she and her colleagues should ‘exercise so that they can die healthy’, but through doing so, she motivated her friends and colleagues to take care of their own wellbeing by taking a brisk walk around the campus. Described as having a lot of pent-up energy, Maribel used her stamina to inspire improved wellness in others, as her extremely fast walking pace would have her colleagues trotting at her side in an attempt to keep up.
Maribel had a master’s degree in Food Science and was therefore very interested in food and cooking, as well as making food from scratch, such as cheese. She had lived in France as a teenager and attended a French school, where she learned how to speak fluent French. Due to this French connection she had a strong passion for the different types of French cheese.
Maribel was not only a lover of good foods, she was also passionate about languages and she showed the value of ambition by working hard towards gaining her certificate in Spanish teaching, not giving up despite actually failing the course twice.
The young teacher and mother of three was also inspirational in terms of her zest for life, famous for making outdoor food parties, bringing people together and working on a tight budget to produce healthy and exotic foods.
She taught her students the value of dreams, and of living life to the full, taking full advantage of her role as a motivator and a mentor to young people. She helped her students by giving them money, time, clothes and advice, and is fondly remembered as playing a pivotal role in the education of many young Canadian students.
Unfortunately, Maribel fell victim to an extremely rare form of cancer and died in Venezuela surrounded by her family. She was mourned by hundreds of former students, who vowed to bring the same wellness to their own lives as she did to hers, in her memory.
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