Victoria Barroso
One of the first times that Victoria and I ever met, she said to me “you know, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like you because I thought you were idealistic and energetic, all the time. But then Nico told me that you weren’t always as presented and that made me feel better”. I share this story because it is a clear snapshot of who Victoria is — honest, strong-willed, and wildly funny.
Eight months ago, back when we didn’t know much about one another, it was almost unimaginable that we would be running a multi-million dollar organization alongside four fellow executives. But in the short time that we have worked with one another, we have celebrated joyful triumphs and weathered great challenges, and I truly could not imagine doing this with anyone else.
Through these experiences, I have learned that she is a team player, through and through — more so than most people I have ever met, professional or otherwise. She is always principled in her approach, never failing to voice her perspective, go against the grain, forward more nuanced conversations, and encourage compromise for the greater good.
She is blunt, sarcastic, and courageous in her convictions — and through this open honesty and dialogue, she has led our team through some of our toughest files this year. She pushed to find students an alternative to ProctorTrack and successfully called on the university to create an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion office. She has transformed the USC’s university budget submission process, all while fighting for increased self-reported absences, pushing for vast improvements to students’ academic experiences, and rewriting pretty much the USC’s entire policy library — no seriously, pretty much the entire thing.
Importantly, she approaches her advocacy with immense integrity, which has allowed her to make great strides in a brand University Affairs portfolio, packed full of difficult, contentious, and confusing files. Victoria’s work ethic, as well as her breadth and depth of knowledge has made her a fierce champion for students, our team, and herself alike.
Because ultimately, she is driven by people. Her love for the campus community, the students, and her fellow leaders never ceases to inspire, invigorate, and enlighten those around her. On this International Women’s Day, and every day for that matter, I am lucky to be a part of Victoria’s team.