Vitor Dos Anjos

While Vitor Dos Anjos always knew he wanted to go to college, tuition felt like a roadblock in his path. Born in Brazil, Vitor and his family moved to New Jersey when he was just four years old. “I grew up low-income and my family did not understand how the American university system worked. I didn’t know how to make college possible,” Vitor explained. “All I was confident of was that some kind of scholarship would need to be involved.”

In high school, Vitor often found himself researching opportunities that might help his dream come to fruition. “One day, I was doing research online and found QuestBridge,” said Vitor. “The name was familiar because I had heard of another student at my school being matched. So, I asked him about it and learned about his full ride to Duke. He became such a big supporter for me. Because of him, I knew it was possible.”

During his junior year, Vitor was accepted to the QuestBridge College Prep Scholars Program, which guided him as he learned about the upcoming college admissions process. “Before QuestBridge, I wasn’t even sure which way to go,” Vitor shared. “Funding was such a concern for me and I knew I probably couldn't even make community college work.”

With direction and confidence gained through the College Prep Scholars Program, Vitor took a chance and applied to the National College Match. “My mom was very supportive of me going to college,” Vitor explained. “My family was in full support, but did not know how to help guide me through the process. Thankfully, my school, my counselor, and QuestBridge helped me through it.”

Reflecting on Match Day, Vitor said that, “I was excited and nervous, but really mostly excited. When I found out that I matched to Swarthmore, it was the most satisfying feeling.”

About nine months later, Vitor packed his bags for Pennsylvania. When he arrived at Swarthmore, his community was already waiting. “I was able to bond with a bunch of other QuestBridge Scholars on my campus, which was really cool,” explained Vitor. “I quickly made friends and even lived with another QuestBridge Scholar my sophomore year.”

In addition to his major in Biology and minors in Computer Science and Latin American and Latino Studies, Vitor joined ENLACE, a Latinx student organization, and became involved in the Swarthmore research community. “I originally was interested in Swarthmore because it was a small liberal arts college. Without a graduate school, undergraduate students were able to be so much more involved in research,” Vitor shared.

While he described his first two years of college as “very academically and intellectually challenging,” it was that rigor that helped Vitor to further clarify his interests. “I was hopeful about biology when I started school, but honestly did not have a full concept of what that major was,” Vitor shared. “I struggled for my first two years, but research and experience really helped me make up the gap I felt between me and my peers and helped me find a love for my field.”

In time, Vitor solidified his goals. “After a couple of years, I knew I wanted to make biology my career,” Vitor said. “The research really opened my eyes. I took a chance and asked one professor if he needed assistance and he said yes. Because of that, I found myself in the mountains of Virginia crawling underneath logs to study the behaviors of small beetles. I loved it.”

The confidence gained through one research project excitingly led to two more: “I started learning how to express my interest and ask,” Vitor explained. “Students who go through the QuestBridge process are especially equipped to seek out opportunities and take a chance. You have to believe in yourself and put yourself out there. That is such a great skill I strengthened because of QuestBridge and took even farther in college.”

Despite the unexpected shift to virtual learning as a result of the pandemic, Vitor was able to complete his last year of college and graduate in the class of 2021. Thanks to not only this degree, but also the strong experience gained during his three research projects, Vitor began his Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University right after his graduation from Swarthmore. “I am so happy,” Vitor said. “All the hard work in college really paid off.”

Thinking back to his journey as a whole, Vitor shared advice for future students: “Making opportunities for yourself and putting yourself out there are the best things you can do. Take the leap and keep your mind open about what is possible.”