Victoria Unga is a first-generation student graduating from SMHS. Although being a first-generation student has its obstacles, Victoria has come a long way with support from both her entire family and independently.
Victoria has been attending San Mateo High School for all four years. During her stay here, she was fortunate enough to build a relationship with her two favorite teachers, Mr. Brasel and Mr. Pirie. “There are times I doubted myself and all those times they were both there to encourage me and to motivate me to keep pushing forward,” Victoria says.
Mr. Brasel, an English teacher here at San Mateo High, developed a close relationship with Victoria after having her in his class as a sophomore and senior. He describes Victoria as a “very hardworking” and “reliable” student. Besides her ability to be hardworking in school, she is also very selfless towards both the overall community and her ethnic community with her volunteering for the San Mateo High Polynesian Club – Victoria is “really in touch with [her] culture,” she says.
Victoria has a large family with four older siblings, so she spends lots of time helping her family as well as their church. Furthermore, she helps her family financially by balancing her academic and volunteering responsibilities with a job.
Victoria plans to attend the College of San Mateo this coming fall, and intends to transfer to a four-year university after her two-year stay at CSM. Her goal is to major in Family Studies and Human Development, with a minor in Kinesiology. Furthermore, she wishes to “work with children, and help people in general,” more specifically focusing on social work. She also envisions using her minor of Kinesiology to become an athletic trainer for the NFL, and she would want to work with her favorite team of the San Francisco 49ers.
Besides her academic achievements, Victoria has done an immense amount of volunteering and collaboration with her classmates and her surrounding community. We wish her the best and only the best for her future and fulfillments.