Victoria Hurtado (she/her/ella)

Victoria is a doctoral candidate (Ed.D.) in the Educational Leadership Program. As a Psychiatric Social Worker for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), her work primarily focuses on supporting students’ mental health through a Multi-Tiered System of Supports that includes strategies to proactively improve students’ social-emotional competencies, coping skills, symptom management, and functioning. Mental health is not traditionally a focus in education, but has become increasingly understood as a critical aspect of a student’s overall well-being. Her research aspirations are to advance studies at the intersection of education and mental health. In particular, she seeks to address barriers to building the capacity of school interest holders in practices that help transform schools into spaces where students feel safe, supported, and nurtured through their educational journey.