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Victoria Hodge chosen as Federal Project Director of the Year
“Touching the lives of migrant Families—Striving for Excellence”

by Ismael Vivanco
Ismael Vivanco and Victoria Hodge
It is my pleasure to recognize Victoria Hodge for the Federal Project Director of the year Award.

At first sight you might get different impression about Victoria. Her frame is small and demeanor quiet. Do not be fooled though. If you were able to look inside her soul, you would see a strong woman with an enormous heart who has a passion and commitment for all students. With extreme compassion, she works against the ideals of “that’s the way we’ve always done it” and chooses to advocate for innovative programs which work best for migrant children. Victoria holds high expectations for every child, regardless of their status or language skills and knows they are capable of meeting and exceeding these expectations. She embraces a powerful voice for the migrant children of Quincy School District and spends endless hours securing the best opportunities necessary for their success.

Victoria, tonight we honor you and thank you for all you do to improve the lives of migrant children and their families.

At first sight you might get different feelings about this particular person. Her frame is small, demeanor quiet and a smile to die for. Do not be fooled though. Her red hair should be a sign of her fiery, driving disposition. If you were able to look inside her soul, you would see a strong woman with a passion and commitment for all children, including migrant/bilingual and special education children. Victoria Hodge is a champion in advocating for equal opportunity and access for the less fortunate children of Quincy, Washington. Many times you will see Victoria at the ESD in the morning talking to ESD 171’s Migrant Education personnel about migrant students’ issues. Other times, very often later on that same day, Victoria in a different part of the ESD is accessing special education resources, determined to bring more programs and improving services for those equally deserving students as well.

Victoria has a calling for the work she does. Many a night you just know she goes home exhausted. Swimming against the general current is no easy work. Advocating for different, innovative programs for disadvantaged children is no easy work. Battling against “that’s the way we’ve always done it” syndrome is no easy work. Fighting tooth and nail for a child to be taken off or not qualified for special education services based solely on the fact that they do not speak English is no easy work. Addressing issues such as low expectations for children of poverty is no easy work. But then the night and the dreams caress her soul. She dreams of a tomorrow where all children in the Quincy schools are achieving academically and meeting the state standards. At that very moment, she is awakened with an urgent need to finish the unfinished business of yesterday and begin the new business of tomorrow. Her resilience and resourcefulness knows no bounds.

I can think of many who would deserve this recognition but Victoria Hodge from Quincy School District deserves this affirmation to continue her struggle to improve the lives and educational services and opportunities for Quincy’s children. Do not dismay Victoria Hodge; children count on your work behind the scenes to overcome great obstacles. This is just a small token of appreciation for everything you do.