Dating back to high school in Norwood, Georgia, Victoria Seals was a basketball player who loved to learn. Her coach, whom she adored, was also a math teacher. Their relationship and his style of teaching helped her fall in love with math and started her on the path to discovering what is now penned as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math).
Seals chose Spelman College to continue her studies, and years later earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership. Her interests, education, and guidance from her mother led her to teach at the collegiate level.
“At an early age I tutored my older cousins and friends in their math classes. When I got to University of Georgia, I started tutoring for the Athletics Department and that brought it full circle,” says Seals, noting that a friend encouraged her to apply for a part-time position at Athens Technical College, which turned to full-time. Upon completion of her doctorate, she moved to Gwinnett Tech and then accepted the role as President of Atlanta Technical College in 2016.
Since her inception, she has dedicated herself to changing the lives of her students and their families.
“We’ve been able to quickly move a family out of poverty and into liveable wages,” she shares. “Having that immediate impact has been my priority as part of my strategic plan.”
Her goal is to break the chains in the black community in terms of the students who were born into poverty. Historically, these students have less than a 4% chance of elevating their economic status throughout their entire lifetime.
“The zip code you’re born in should not be the determining factor of your entire future,” says Seals.
She touts her greatest achievement as the partnerships with the city of Atlanta and the Atlanta Committee for Progress organization. She’s fostered relationships with local corporations to show them that Atlanta Tech students can be their workforce solution as they look to stay in the city after completion. One of her next ideas is to cultivate the Transportation, Logistics, and Supply Chain programs.
“This program has gone under the radar, but there are opportunities for students to connect with a high-paying career. It’s more than just being a truck driver or warehouse worker,” she says.
Seals has made great strides at Atlanta Tech and plans to continue to move the school forward. She wants all to know that it’s not just a second option, it’s a viable first option to guide individuals to well-paying careers.
