CHANGING LIVES WITH HER HANDS

For some people, the knowledge of what they want to be when they grow up is learned over time: after all, we only truly know our capabilities and ourselves as we start experiencing more of the world. For others, however, that calling is instantaneous. One moment you are an innocent child, the very next; you suddenly realize what you want out of the world. Some kids want to be astronauts, while some want their names in flashing lights.

For Victoria Belo, it was to be a dermatologist. The dream began at the age of five years old, brought on by formative experiences that would only serve to toughen her up. “I was bullied because I was fat and ugly, and I was adopted. So I would hear my classmates say that I was given away because of that,” she says, “because what do young pre-schoolers know about life? But yes, that’s where it all started for me.” Rather than letting these circumstances taint her view of the world, Vicki let it encourage her. “I didn’t exactly know I wanted to be a dermatologist, but I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to make everyone beautiful so they would be loved."

During her teenage years, puberty took hold, so Vicki attempted to wrest control of her skin. It was during these numerous visits to dermatologists that she began