Taylor Swift donates £23,000 to London student, 18, for university fund
27 August 2020, 16:32
Pop star Taylor Swift has gifted an A-Level student from Tottenham, London, her university tuition.
Taylor Swift has donated over £23,000 to Vitoria Mario – a Tottenham teenager, who is an aspiring mathematician.
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The 30-year-old pop star made the generous donation to Vitoria Mario, who started a GoFund me appeal to gain the money to fund her university costs.
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The teenager, who described herself as a 'black 18-year-old with a dream', explained that she was offered an unconditional place at the University of Warwick to study mathematics.
However, she was shattered at the reality of the costs, as she could not afford to pay for the course.
Vitoria Mario's online fundraising page reveals that she has lived in UK for four years after moving from Portugal, making her non-eligible for maintenance loans or grants.
The "Shake It Off" star decided to gift Vitoriawith the rest of the tuition after seeing her GoFundMe page.she would need for her studies.
Leaving a message, the star said: 'Vitoria, I came across your story online and am so inspired by your drive and dedication to turning your dreams into reality.
'I want to gift you the rest of your goal amount. Good luck with everything you do! Love, Taylor.'
In response, Vitoria said: 'My mind has been blown. I was wondering how to reach enough people to hit my goal and now this miracle has happened.
'I'm just over the moon. I got 1A and 2A*s in my exam results recently and this is just a huge cherry on the cake!'
After becoming aware of Taylor's donation, Vitoria made a video reaching out to Taylor Swift to thank her for her funding.
Taylor Swift responded to the video, writing: Vitoria!! Your video just made my day. You worked so hard to get those incredible grades and it was an honor to have some part in your journey. Let’s find a way to meet when it’s safe to! So proud of you'
OMGGGG I don't even what to say😭😭 and yes I would love to meet you♥️ https://t.co/C1TByL2eCY
— Vitoria (@vitoriamariox) August 26, 2020
Prior to getting the funding, Vitoria outlined why she had set up the GoFundMe in a statement, with her goal being set at £40,000.
She wrote: 'My name is Vitoria Mario, and I am a young Black 18 year old with a dream.'I have received a conditional offer to study Mathematics (MMath) at the prestigious University of Warwick.'
' I have already attained AABB at AS Level and I have recently achieved A*A*A in my A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics, respectively.'
'However, I am still in a position of uncertainty as I may not be able to attend university due to my circumstances. I have lived in the U.K. for 4 years now, after migrating from Portugal to live with family in Tottenham.'
'The socio-economic barriers of not being eligible for maintenance loans/grants is due not only to not having ‘Home’ status, but also because my family are low income, and unable to help me self-fund through university.'
'Sadly, my father has passed away, and my mother remains in Portugal. Moving away from her was a challenge but it was a sacrifice worth being made, in my family’s eyes. "If you can get a university education in the UK, you will be set apart for life".'
'In spite of this, I have always been a studious person, and after coming to the U.K. in 2016, unable to utter a word in English, I achieved 100% A*-As in all my GCSEs in 2018, getting a grade 9 and 8 in Maths and English respectively.'
' I am currently a student at Brampton Manor Academy, notorious for their work in helping young Black and minority ethnic students such as myself gain entry to top U.K. institutions.'
'Only 35% of STEM students are female, and as of 2018, they make up just 26% of STEM graduates.'
'In addition to the gender imbalance, there is further under-representation of BAME women, particularly Black women, who are in shortage within the field and academic institutions.'Why didn't I do this earlier, you may ask?'
'I emailed numerous (442 to be exact) people from top firms to see if they were able to assist me or point me in the right direction, but was rejected or left without response.'
See the rest of Vitoria's GofundMe here.
During an interview with Sky News, Vitoria said: "It's amazing. I'm just over the moon and so thankful."
"I was utterly shocked when I found out she'd made the donation, I just couldn't believe it.
"This is a dream I'm now able to achieve, not have this financial burden for getting to university."
