"Sekiutsu Maria Taro" is student no. 8 of class 2-F. Maria is an illegal immigrant from a country in Asia (due to her dark skin tone, hispanic-like first name, and coming from a 'war torn' country, it's possible she's Filipino) who bought a birth certificate from a male student in Nozomu's class and is currently attending school in his place. Sekiutsu Taro, the person Maria bought her certificate from, is derived from the phrase seki uttaro, meaning "I'll sell my name". Although she assumes the identity of a male student, almost everyone calls her by Maria; Kafuka often addresses her as "Mataro". Due to her extreme poverty and optimistic attitude, most people feel encouraged to help and protect her. She feels uncomfortable when wearing shoes or panties.
Taro is a very common boy's name in Japan, making it immediately clear it isn't her name.