An Aberystwyth University student with six jobs and no family support is set to graduate this summer following a significant online fundraising campaign.

20-year-old Gladys Garcia is a Venezuelan international student studying Politics and International Relations, but struggled to keep her place at the institution after her mother stopped her financial support last summer.

The violinist needed to raise £15,375 for her last year of tuition, plus money to support herself whilst she completed her three-year course.

Despite having six jobs, including as a youth worker, cover at a high school, student ambassador, bar staff and private tutor, international students aren’t allowed to work more than 20 hours per week due to visa restrictions, making her fundraising goal even trickier.

However after a lot of hard work and pushing a successful online fundraising campaign, she has raised 100 per cent of her £15k target and is set to graduate this July.

Gladys said to her supporters: “I wanted to thank you for all the help and support you gave me during the hardest time of my life.

“I honestly have no words.

“Thank you for standing with me through all of this, for your kindness, your messages, and for believing in me even when things felt impossible.

“I will never forget it!”

Gladys, who also goes by GiGi, had to tackle not only visa restrictions but a fraud case after a fraudster impersonated her on social media and created a dummy fundraising page, which recorded receiving thousands of dollars before it was shut down.

This forced Gladys to temporarily stop fundraising online.

Though the hard work is not yet over for Gladys with exams yet to come, she attributes her fundraising success to the many people who found her story on TikTok and supported her, “reminding me that I am not alone in this”.