Teaching Philosophy
My goal as an educator is to create equitable environments that are receptive to students' intersectional identities and transform learning experiences for my students and mentees. My teaching philosophy includes the belief that educators should encourage students to consider and draw on the strengths they offer the learning community while also placing individual students’ academic and professional goals at the center of their scholarly development.
"Victoria cared about our mental health, and also facilitated good discussions. I felt like the activities we did were creative and thoughtful, and useful in testing our problem–solving strategies and developing them for the future."
-Undergraduate Student
Teaching Experience
Undergraduate Courses
PSY120: Me, My Race, and I: Psychological Perspectives on Ethnic/Racial Identity and Socialization
Co-Designer and Course Assistant
Co-developed and supported the implementation of a novel course meeting the University of Michigan’s Race and Ethnicity course requirement for undergraduate students. Guest lectured select class meetings related to forming an ethnic-racial identity (ERI) in home and family contexts and academic outcomes related to ERI development.
PSYCH 401: The Psychology of the Latinx Experience
Guest Lecture
Presented content to an upper-level undergraduate class related to racial-ethnic identity development. Scaffolded learning about social identity groups, racialization, racial socialization, and prominent ethnic-racial identity models in psychology.
EDUC 391: Educational Psychology and Human Development
Instructor of Record
Served as instructor of record for EDUC 391; an undergraduate course for students studying to become secondary teachers in the state of Michigan.
EDUC 88S: Acknowledging Your Privilege: Understanding the U.S. Educational Achievement Gap
Instructor of Record
Worked to develop a syllabus and course objectives for a unique undergraduate course under the supervision of Dr. Kimberley Gomez. Independently instructed two sections of my undergraduate course within UCLA’s Department of Education.
Graduate Courses
PSYCH 613: Advanced Statistical Methods I
Course Content Tutor
Supported Doctoral students in Psychology in their mastery of statistical methods using R and SPSS software. Developed student understandings of statistical assumptions, significance testing, and applied this learning to the field of Psychology.
Psych 614: Advanced Statistical Methods II
Course Content Tutor
Supported Doctoral students in Psychology in their mastery of statistical methods using R and SPSS software. Assisted students in the development of quantitative research questions, building moderation, mediation, and multiple regression models, and interpreting findings.
Academic Thriving: Society for Personality and Social Psychology
Retreat Facilitator
Facilitated a professional development workshop on “Academic Thriving” for pre-tenure faculty of color in personality and social psychology. Directed collaborative activities aimed at defining professional thriving. Supported small group and individual goal-setting oriented toward flourishing in academia.
Introduction to the Rigorous and Accelerated Data Reduction Technique & Consensual Qualitative Analysis
Workshop Co-Developer and Co-Facilitator
Co-developed a workshop on qualitative research methods for Penn State University Department of Psychology. Facilitated the workshop for graduate student development.
Curriculums Designed
Learning to Take Action curriculum: SPARX Project
Curriculum Co-Designer
Co-developed a Learning to Take Action curriculum for the Stepping uP Against Racism and Xenophobia (SPARX) Project. Developed learning objectives, unit titles, lesson plans, reflection activities, and curated resources for an open-access web-based learning experience aimed at parents, educators, and other adults who work with youth.
"My time with Victoria during stats tutoring has been beneficial not just within the class but in future research. She encouraged me to push for deeper explanation of concepts and to critically evaluate which variables belong in an analysis. Her guidance in troubleshooting which analyses make sense for each question will stay with me throughout my educational journey."
-Graduate Student
Research Mentorship Experience
Much of my success can be attributed to mentors who uplifted me along the way. I strive to be such an asset to others, and I have capitalized on opportunities that have further prepared me to engage in advocacy work that seeks to enact justice within the academy. I am proud to have mentored more than 25 Master’s and undergraduate students, and my mentees have shared that I am an “especially effective mentor” because I am willing to be upfront about my experiences and try to shed light on the hidden curriculum whenever possible. This intentional practice is rooted in my own learning experiences as a first-generation college student. In my own educational journey, I have often found disconnects between the learning environments at the primarily White institutions I attended and my own values and strengths as a student. Therefore, in my roles as an educator and mentor, I seek to demystify the academic environment while also considering the wealth of knowledge my students bring to the learning community.
2025 Nominated for the Psychology Excellence in Mentoring Award
2024 Nominated for the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Mentor Award
2023 Professor Percy Bates Mentoring Award
"Victoria leads by example, with her approachable disposition and academic rigor she inspires and empowers those around her to pursue research with conviction, confidence, and curiosity."
-Undergraduate Research Assistant
Mentored Student Presentations
(*undergraduate student presenter)
O’Neal, H.*, Flaugher, B.*, & Vezaldenos, V. (2026, February). Measuring Multiracial Experiences: Insights into Leveraging Psychometric Measurement to Advance Multiracial Research. Poster presentation at the Critical Mixed-Race Studies Conference 2026. University of California, Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA.
Young, K.*, & Fajardo, E.*, & Vezaldenos, V. (2026, February). Making Meaning from Within the Margins: Navigating Race, Gender, and Sexuality as Multiracial LGBTQ+ Youth. Poster presentation at the Critical Mixed-Race Studies Conference 2026. University of California, Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA.
Estabrook, E.*, & Chavarkar, D.,* & Vezaldenos, V. (2026, February). Developing a Critical Multiracial Identity: Multiracial Adolescents’ Understandings of Racialization and Systemic Oppression. Paper presented at the Critical Mixed-Race Studies Conference 2024. University of California, Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA.
Xiong, S.*, Young, K.*, & Vezaldenos, V. (2025, April) The Critical Multiracial Ethnic-Racial Identity Project. Poster Presentation at the UM Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Symposium. Ann Arbor, MI.
Bost, P.*, Loza, C.*, & Vezaldenos, V. (2025, February) The Critical Multiracial Ethnic-Racial Identity Project. Oral Presentation at the Interdisciplinary Research Session, UM Latine Research Week 2025. Ann Arbor, MI.
Flaugher, B.* & Vezaldenos, V. (2025, February) The Critical Multiracial Ethnic-Racial Identity Project: Qualitative Coding. Poster Presentation at UM Latine Research Week 2025. Ann Arbor, MI.
Flaugher, B.* & Vezaldenos, V. (2024, April) The Critical Multiracial Ethnic-Racial Identity Project. Poster Presentation at the UM Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Symposium. Ann Arbor, MI.
Schooner, N.* & Vezaldenos, V. (2022, April) Assessing How Multiracial Adolescents’ Friends Relate to Ethnic-Racial Identity Development. Poster Presentation at the UM Psychology Department Honors Thesis Symposium. Ann Arbor, MI.
"It has been a wonderful experience working with Victoria on her CMERI Project. She stands out among all of the research mentors I have ever had because she obviously cares so deeply about the well-being and professional development of her research assistants."
-Undergraduate Research Assistant
Student Research Partners
Master's Students (3)
Oluwaseun Oyindamola Ogunleye (2021 – 2023)
Mandy Finn (2021 – 2022)
Sydney Kayne (2021 – 2022)
Undergraduate Students (22)
Cole Nogawa (2023 - 2024; 2025 - Present) - Research Assistant (RA); Honors Thesis Supervision: University of Michigan, Department of Psychology Multiracial Young Adult Experiences with Major Depressive Disorder
Nathan Schooner (2021 - 2022) - Honors Thesis Supervision: University of Michigan, Department of Psychology Assessing How Multiracial Adolescents' Friends Relate to Ethnic Racial Identity Development
Brooklin Flaugher (2023 - Present) - Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)
KayLynn Young (2024 - 2025; 2025 - Present) - UROP; Research Scholars Program
Durva Chavarkar (2025 - Present) - RA
Hayden O’Neal (2025 - Present) - RA
Elizabeth Fajardo (2025 - Present) - RA
Ella Estabrook (2025 - Present) - RA, UC Davis
Yasmeena Jones (2023 - Present) - RA
Summer Xiong (2024 - 2025) - UROP
Maia Ling Timmons (2024 - 2025) - RA
Christian Loza (2023 - 2025) - RA
Paige Bost (2021 - 2025) - RA
Sophia Grewal (2021 - 2024) - RA
Serena Hao (2021 - 2024) - RA
Natalia Morato (2021 - 2024) - RA
Kendall Grayson (2021 - 2023) - RA
Madeleine Wren (2021 - 2023) - RA
Jesus Calvario Aguilar (2021 - 2023) - RA
Samedah Gorrai (2021 - 2023) - RA
Amanda Webster (2021 - 2023) - RA
Jiahao Yang (2021 - 2022) - RA
"I had the privilege of being mentored by Victoria throughout most of my undergraduate experience, working alongside her on the CMERI Project and other research teams. Victoria is a kind, knowledgeable, patient and supportive mentor, creating an environment where students feel both challenged and encouraged."
-Undergraduate Research Assistant