Taylor Swift Donates $30,000 to Help 18-Year-Old With College Tuition

One 18-year-old's college dreams are coming true with the help of Taylor Swift.

UK teen Vitoria Mario was accepted to the University of Warwick in Coventry England, and uncertain that she was eligible for a student loan, she created a GoFundMe to help raise money for her tuition with dreams of one day becoming a mathematician.

On the GoFundMe page, Vitoria explained, "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."

Vitoria went to on to explain that her father passed away, and her mother is still in Portugal, and while moving away was a challenge for her, she mentioned, "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 the lengthy letter, Mario also explained that she is currently a student at Brampton Manor Academy, a school well known "for their work in helping young Black and minority ethnic students such as myself gain entry to top UK institutions." Vitoria then talked about the percentages of students in schools in relation to race and gender, explaining, "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."

Vitoria managed to raise some money toward her goal of 40,000 pounds (which is about $52,868 dollars), and when Taylor Swift caught wind of the GoFundMe, the star donated the remaining amount — 23,373 pounds (which is over $30,000). In the comments, Swift wrote to 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."

With the tuition money now in place, Vitoria intends to pay it forward one day. In an interview with MyLondon, she explained, "My goal is to create a charity that helps people like me. I've achieved more than some people who are English but I haven't been able to access the same privileges," adding, "I also want to encourage females to do science subjects. In my school I’m the only girl doing Maths at university."

Photo: Getty Images