Victoria Arevalo Moreno

Up First for Success

 

Victoria Arévalo Moreno journeyed into the heart of the LMU experience and found passion, purpose, and the resources to help power her drive for real-world success. Earning a baccalaureate degree in Communication Studies from the LMU College of Communication & Fine Arts, Victoria transitioned from undergrad student into a career professional over the summer by obtaining a position as a Multiplatform Strategy and Social Coordinator at Discovery, Inc, where she hopes to power people’s passions throughout the globe.

Victoria first made her mark at the media giant through a series of rewarding internship experiences via her participation in the Emma Bowen Fellows Program; a foundation that seeks to create a more diverse industry by recruiting promising students of color and placing them in multi-year paid internships at some of the nation’s top media and tech companies.

She had reached out to LMU Career and Professional Development and connected with a career coach to help polish her resume and interviewing skills —a beneficial campus resource available to all LMU students. By graduation time, Victoria had completed five internships in the television industry, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and KABC sports.

“At LMU, I was able to explore my interests with purpose and further develop my critical thinking skills, as well as my professional savvy,” Victoria said, adding that her experiences on and off the LMU bluff also allowed her to learn and grow into an intersectional ally and advocate for social justice.

Relocating to Los Angeles from El Salvador at the age of ten, Victoria said that she was originally drawn to LMU for its Jesuit mission and commitment to providing students with a well-rounded educational experience. She highlighted the variety of courses that made a lasting impact on her by daring to challenge the status quo and introduce new ways of thinking, including “Sociology of U.S. Immigration,” “Introduction to Chicanx Latinx Studies,” “The Politics of Africa,” and “Interpersonal Communication,” among others.

“As a first-generation college student, LMU’s amazing faculty and staff, its First to Go program and other support services were instrumental in helping me succeed and be the first one in my family to graduate from a four-year university in the U.S.," Victoria said.

Outside of her academic and pre-professional pursuits, Victoria was also active on the student life scene, participating in the multicultural sorority Sigma Lambda Gamma, the Latinx Student Union, KXLU radio station, and the service organization Esperer. Additionally, she is the recipient of The Hollywood Reporter’s Big Brothers Big Sisters scholarship.

As for what advice she has for future LMU Lions?

“Bet on yourself every single time,” Victoria said. “College is hard, and there will be times where it may be difficult to keep going, but remember that you belong, and you are capable of doing everything you set your mind to!”