After graduating in 2018 and currently in her senior year of college, Victoria is attending Biola University in California. Before that, she took TPS courses for five years starting in middle school. She grew up with two older siblings in Texas whom she describes as “really smart and awesome.” Victoria’s favorites include reading, crafting jewelry, and watching films and TV shows; her favorite subject is English, and she’s thrilled to write, especially when it comes to creative writing.
What is something unique about your family and where you’ve lived?
Victoria: I grew up in Houston, Texas, and my family moved there when I was eight. Before that, I was actually born in Bulgaria which is located in Eastern Europe. My family came to the states in 2005 when I was five years old, and eventually I got to Texas. When I started college in 2019, I came out here to California and that’s where I’ve been since.
What are you majoring in right now?
Victoria: I’m in my senior year right now. I took a gap year after I graduated from TPS, so I got to college a little late, but I’m finishing up this year. I am majoring in film, specifically screenwriting which is more of the development part of film and television. I go to a Christian university, so I’m also minoring in Biblical Studies.
Why did you decide to take a gap year?
Victoria: It was mostly because I hadn’t really figured out what exactly I wanted to do yet or where to go. I knew I wanted to go to college, but I hadn’t really done much research or anything by the time my senior year came around. I’m glad I took that gap year because I don’t think I would have ended up where I am today if I hadn’t taken the time to prepare.
Why did you choose to study film?
Victoria: I started doing creative writing at around twelve. Growing up, I’ve always been really creative; I loved coming up with stories and films. The collaborative aspect of film really appealed to me– where it was a bunch of people coming together to make a story product. Pursuing film allows me to write stories, tell stories, but also collaborate with others. After I graduate, I do want to work in the entertainment industry. I’m not sure in what field of it exactly, whether television, game design, or something else, but I do love creative development, which is the development of the writing, casting, and funding of a project. In the long term, I’d love to have the job of being a showrunner and keep writing stories.
Do you have a favorite TPS memory?
Victoria: Oh yes, so many. I loved so many of my classes, and most of my best friends now are people who I’ve met through TPS. I still remember meeting with my friends in GP6 to write together and read each other’s work because we all loved writing stories and poetry.
Have you ever looked back and read some of the stories you composed back then?
Victoria: Occasionally. There’s a certain amount of years that go by and after that you learn to accept what you’ve written and just be like, “Oh, I was still learning and growing. It’s bad, but it’s fine. I’m not gonna beat myself up over it.” There’s things that I’ve written more recently where I’m like, “Yikes, that’s bad; I really don’t want to read it. I can’t believe I wrote this.” However, I think every type of skill is interesting to look back and see where I’ve come from and how much I’ve changed. You know, a lot of it is bad, but it’s cool to see how much I’ve grown since then.
If you had to name a theme for all of your creative writings, what would it be?
Victoria: Creating something out of my head, taking something that means a lot to me, like a truth that I want to say to the world, and turning it into a story. That aspect of creating something is really cool and a lot of fun too. I love exploring “coming of age” types of stories about characters who are growing in their understanding of the world because probably all our lives are about learning and changing. Also, I explore and write about younger characters who are learning about the world, having to find courage, who they are, and their identity.
Since you love exploring character change, what do you think is an aspect of you that has changed through TPS?
Victoria: TPS really gave me a strong academic education, especially in my writing skills. My English classes just prepared me to be a writer so well. Looking back, the classes, not just the academic side of it, but they always pushed me towards appreciating and achieving excellence in whatever I do. I remember my teachers always being able to incorporate the element of a Biblical worldview from whatever we were reading, and they always had these really in depth thoughts on how the text related to a spiritual worldview.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Victoria: So many things. The first thing that came to mind is that I would tell my younger self to take risks. I was very much a student who wanted to do things by the rules and make sure I did what I needed to do to get good grades. However, looking back, now I wish I had taken more risks and allowed myself to be more creative and think outside the box. It’s never too late to do that in life, but I feel like I could have done even cooler things if I had been willing to take a risk and be okay with failing because failures are to be dealt with. In the long run, a bad grade doesn’t matter; what matters the most is being there for the people in your life and pursuing what you were called to pursue. Getting one bad grade isn’t going to sabotage any of that.
Photo Credit: Alison Goff