CLW Keynote Speaker

Victoria is a Houston native who is passionate about career exploration and postsecondary access for underserved communities. She started her career as a college counselor in Houston ISD where she received district-wide recognition for her innovative practices in the College and Career Center that is used as a model across the district. During this time she started one of the first school chapters of EMERGE and created the very first cross country college tour for the program. In 2016, Victoria co-founded BridgeYear, a Houston-based nonprofit that connects underserved youth to careers and educational opportunities that lead to economic stability and independence. BridgeYear serves over 12,000 students a year through its signature Career Test Drive Program and the website MorePathways.org, both programmatic features Victoria created while serving as the organization’s Chief Program Officer. Currently, Victoria serves as one of the founding team members of the ExxonMobil Foundation Teen Engineering and Tech Center initiative, which provides hands-on STEM learning opportunities to inspire youth from underserved communities to become the next generation of engineers. Victoria graduated from Rice University where she double majored in Statistics and Mathematical Economic Analysis.