Vitoria Mario’s story: The Journey to Becoming A Mathematician
How a young, inspiring and determined student strived to beat all odds to become a mathematician.
Vitoria Mario, a young black 18 year old female from Tottenham, North London, always strived to reach for her dreams to excel academically however she was met with some challenges along the way. Vitoria moved from Portugal to the United Kingdom four years ago sadly leaving her mother. She stated that "Moving away from her was a challenge, but it was a sacrifice worth being made in my family's eyes".
When Vitoria arrived in the UK, she attended Cumberland Secondary School were she achieved all A*-A in all of her GCSE which Is outstanding as upon coming to this country Vitoria was unable to speak any English.
After completing her GCSE’s, she attended Brampton Manor Academy taking A levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics. Although these subjects were demanding and challenging, this did not stop her as she gained two A* and one A grade in her A levels. She was then offered an unconditional offer for a four-year course at Warwick University which she accepted.
However, although Vitoria had continuously worked hard to reach her future goals, she soon realised that she would not be eligible for the Student Finance Loan that would provide her with financial support during her time at University. This is because Student Finance England state that to be eligible for the grant you have to have been “a UK national or have ‘settled status’” however due to Vitoria arriving from Portugual she would not qualify for a maintenance grant as she was still classified as an EU student. This meant that for Vitoria, her dream of becoming a Mathmetician was slowly vanishing.
In the quest to continue and not give up on her goals, she set up a fundraiser on the renowned Go Fund Me a website in hope for some donations. To her surprise, many people showed generosity and kindness, donating large amounts of money towards her fundraiser. One of those people included the famous pop singer Taylor Swift commenting on the website “I want to gift you the rest of your goal amount. Good luck with everything you do! Love, Taylor.
She estimated she would need over £24,000 for accommodation, £3,000 for equipment and £13,000 for general living costs including food, transport, gas and electricity but due to the generosity of the donors all of these costs were covered, meaning that she would now be able to Warwick University to study Mathematics for four years.
Vitoria took to social media to share her feelings on the events saying “Thank you to everyone who has shared, donated or even just checked on me. I really appreciate it.”
“Maths at Warwick will soon be a REALITY and not just a dream. Thanks to God, I was able to secure my place yesterday.”
She also added that “Life isn’t always easy, but I choose to look at the bright side of it” and that “I don’t believe in the impossible and that why I have chosen to share my story.”
“Sowing seed into me and my dream is sowing a seed into a generation of young people, of immigrants who face similar barriers and struggles like me, who have goals, dreams and aspirations. Help me fight this battle today.”
Previously, Vitoria has worked a Tutor assisting young individuals in improving their academic performance by providing various ways of how to tackle their educational obstacle.
She also acknowledges that "though my story is not unique, my dream of becoming a mathematician is not only a chance at social mobility for my family and I but to inspire people who have been in similar positions to aspire to be the best version of themselves."
Due to the generosity of the public, her determination and hard work Vitoria Mario, an intelligent black young woman, will be able to fulfil her dreams of becoming a Mathematician.