Maria Montessori was born in Italy and moved to Rome as a child. She was encouraged by her mother to pursue her education, breaking traditional gender barriers. Montessori became the first woman to enter the University of Rome's Faculty of Medicine. Her experience teaching mentally challenged children led her to develop nontraditional teaching methods. Her achievements gained recognition and led her to focus on education over medicine. She opened her first Casa dei Bambini school, which became the model for Montessori schools worldwide.