But Portugal's housing crisis curbed her dreams and forced her to live in a tent.
Sale prices have skyrocketed 137% in that period, according to housing data specialists Confidencial Imobiliario.
Brazilians, who make up 40% of Portugal's migrant community, on average earn around 20% less than Portuguese, according to the Migration Observatory.
At Saturday's rallies in Lisbon, Porto and other cities, protesters carried banners reading "Housing is a right!"
The 2021 census showed that nearly 38% of Portugal's foreign population lived in overcrowded households, and various rights groups have said migrants often face discrimination in access to housing.
Persons:
Marcia Leandro, Andreia Costa, Confidencial, Leandro, Dinis Lourenco, Lourenco, Costa, Miguel Pereira, Catarina Demony, Andrei Khalip, David Holmes
Organizations:
Confidencial Imobiliario, Migration, Socialist, Thomson
Locations:
LISBON, Portugal, Brazil, Lisbon, Western, Porto