Victoria works as a Financial Aid Technician in Financial Aid (FA).

She assists students from the moment they walk into the office, sometimes as soon as they step foot on campus.
Victoria helps students complete the following processes:

• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• All stages involved with award file completion
• Federal and State grants, loans, and scholarships
• Connecting with campus resources

Victoria organizes and hosts FA workshops on the main campus and the centers and high schools, staffing at Lake Center location, and is the point of contact for staff, departments, instructors and, most importantly, students.

Additionally, Victoria:

• Can often be seen working at the front counter
• Answers phone
• Determines eligibility for emergency funds
• Performs Pell Grant and Cal Grant reconciliation
• Awarding and disbursing funds
• Processes overpayment and return of funds
• Assists in staff training
• Completes needs analysis, verifying information as needed
• Advises students on their rights and responsibilities, as well as policies and regulations of our institution and the Department of Education
• Reviews reports for accuracy
• Completes Education plan checks for maximum timeframe Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) students.
• Reports relevant information to the National Student Loan Database
• Follows Department of Education regulations and informs affected parties as needed
• Attends workshops and conferences to keep abreast of the ever-changing policies, regulations, and processing requirements
• Assists with hosting Mendocino College's regular cultural regalia workshops in the Native American Student Resource center

Victoria works closely with students, Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS), Fiscal Services, Admissions and Records (A&R), Counseling Dept, Athletics, Basic Needs, Career Hub, Outreach, Native American Student Resource Center, instructors, and Bank Mobile. For example, she works with Fiscal Services for student accounting and disbursements, refunds, and canceling checks with Bank Mobile; A&R for proof of high School completion, transcripts, add/drop dates for individual students, and fee waivers, and refers students who have questions; Basic Needs, food pantry, emergency funds, and other resources to help students with needs that often make attending school difficult; Counseling around student goals and majors; and Athletics when student athletes need assistance or the Career Hub for on campus employment opportunities. Additionally, as a Native American staff member, she can better connect with Native American students, particularly during recruitment and outreach.

When Victoria encounters a student with a high Student Aid Index (SAI; usually indicating a low need for aid) she digs deeper to find out if they had a loss of income or other extenuating circumstances that makes them eligible for a Special Circumstance Review. With this it might be possible to process a correction so the student can become eligible for a higher Pell grant. She directs students to resources they might not otherwise be aware of, such as the Native American Student Resource Center, the lending library, Basic Needs, EOPS, and free bus services.

Victoria volunteers for hiring committees, all Native American event planning committees, and other campus events as her schedule allows.