Victoria Mao

Founder,
mindfullyouth

Thoughtful, adaptable, and creative, Victoria Mao’s mind is often occupied with all sorts of topics related to psychology. She is committed to creating impact to the world through crafting her own pathway combining psychology, with a focus on social and abnormal psychology, and social sciences. She values the importance of taking a people-first attitude in approaching life. 

Growing up, Victoria loved the story of “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. The message centered around the selfless nature of unconditional love and the joy that comes from giving without expecting anything in return, a lesson that Victoria has tried to internalize and apply to her personal relationships. 

While Victoria has always nurtured an interest in psychology, it wasn’t until she took her first formal psychology course during her junior year of high school that she realized it was what she was truly passionate about. At school, Victoria is a dedicated member of both the service and science clubs. She is currently trying to start a psychology club. Outside of school, Victoria trains in and coaches rhythmic gymnastics and aesthetic group gymnastics (AGG). She is also learning the flute following the RCM system. As of January 2024, Victoria has taken the DELF (Diplôme d’études en langue française) B1 exam and she speaks three languages: English, Mandarin, and French. 

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To begin solving the issue of mindfulness in a more systematic manner, mindfullyouth was founded by a group of secondary school students led by Victoria to empower youth to find their core and seek harmony within their world. Three core areas related to social influence, social perception and social interaction are being researched and developed to help youth seek internal and external “consensus”. 

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Looking ahead, Victoria hopes to major in psychology at Brown University and then pursue a master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational (I-O) Psychology. After that, she plans on obtaining licensure by passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), ultimately joining the workplace as an I-O psychologist.