Juliana Germinio moved from Brazil to Belfast in 2014 after meeting her Irish husband while volunteering in Recife. The couple met working for Habitat for Humanity, and she initially commented on his pale skin and lack of suncream.

Germinio found the weather and culture in Belfast colder than in Brazil, and the accent was a struggle at first. She printed out her CV and went door-to-door to find a job, eventually working in an art gallery and framers'.

Through a Portuguese language meet-up, she connected with other Brazilians in the city and built a support network. Her father-in-law offered to pay for her education and funded international fees for a programme for managers at UCD, which she attended once a month for four years while working full-time.

In 2023, the couple welcomed their daughter. Germinio has since founded creative agency Yellow Zest, which runs the East Belfast Business Meet Up and hosts a monthly podcast. She is involved in the local community and pointed to the regeneration of Newtownards Road as an example of positive change.

Germinio has considered getting into politics in Belfast, but her husband has talked her out of it so far. She said she wants to leave Belfast a better place than she found it.