Victoria A. Sessions Endowment

The Victoria A. Sessions Endowment provides a living legacy for West Valley College students who are preparing for careers in medicine or science. The Endowment was founded by her mother, relatives and many friends. The fund honors a young woman who touched and inspired the lives of many.

Victoria attended West Valley College from August 2003 to April 2004. She was witty, bright, active, talented, and very loving. More than anything she loved her family, friends, dogs Merlin and Muffin, and interacting with people and nature.

Vicky was born on February 12, 1985 and died in a hit and run accident on Route 9 in Saratoga on April 26, 2004. She was listed as missing and the subject of a statewide search for six weeks.

At age 6 she was diagnosed with severe dyslexia and spent the next seven years in intensive, private support programs at Rainbow Montessori. Against all odds she was reading adult literature by eighth grade graduation. Her favorite authors included Jane Austen, Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare, and the Egyptian mysteries of Elizabeth Peters.

At both Old Orchard Junior High and Adrian Wilcox High School Victoria excelled at literature and science. She was a journalist and some her articles were published on the web. She was on the high school swim team, and joined the Olympic swim team in Santa Clara, that produced many Olympic Gold Medalists. On her 17th birthday during practice she suffered a devastating accident that left her with permanent severe pain.

Undaunted, Victoria investigated colleges but was undecided between her love for science and her love of opera. Victoria was a gifted singer and while at West Valley College was preparing to sing with an opera company. Her favorite music in the whole world was Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera.

At West Valley Victoria decided that while music and literature would always be great loves, science was her mission. She was adamantly opposed to the destruction of the Rain Forest for environmental and humanitarian reasons, and passionately wanted to seek natural cures for devastating diseases such as cancer and Multiple Sclerosis. In keeping with Victoria's ideals the endowment benefits students with similar passions and interests.