Stephani Victor is a recent honors graduate and the first woman to successfully
complete two degree programs from the University of Southern California's
highly competitive film school. Miss Victor's talent as a young film
maker was further recognized when she was one of four individuals chosen
out of hundreds of applicants to direct a "480" (USC thesis) film project.
Miss Victor was also the founding president of the national chapter of
Sigma Kappa Sororities. After graduation, Miss Victor dedicated her
tremendous drive to pursue her acting career and is represented by the
prestigious William Morris Agency.
Not content to wait for the phone to ring, Miss Victor contributed a great deal in support of her community. She walked for AIDS Walk Los Angeles. She performed in a touring play, "Rations", sponsored by the non-profit L.I.F.E. (Love Is Feeding Everyone) to educate youth on the homeless issues facing our cities.
Just before her accident, Miss Victor worked for United Friends of the Children, a non-profit organization for children in foster care, while continuing to act in theater, film and television. She is a lifetime member of the American Renegade Theater.
Since her accident in December 1995, Miss Victor has become even more committed to making a difference in the film business as an innovative film maker and actress. Just two short weeks following her accident, she had a video camera brought into the hospital so that she could videotape her rehabilitation for a future documentary. Much has happened in the two years since she began documenting her challenging road to recovery.
She underwent a painful bone lengthening procedure that has never been accomplished to such a degree on an amputation as severe as Miss Victor's. The procedure required her to temporarily relocate to Baltimore, Maryland, where she endured numerous hospital stays and five surgeries. She has made world history by re-growing her bones longer then anyone thought possible.
During the 7 months of this lengthening process, Miss Victor found more opportunities to reach out to people in the realm of public speaking. She was also the 1996 recipient of the challenged Athletes Award and appeared on the cover of Competitor Magazine.
The ABC news magazine show 20/20 produced a detailed story of Miss Victor's triumphant rehabilitation and her drive to make a documentary film in the process. The German television equal to 20/20, called SAM, also covered her story, taking her uplifting spirit and positive message to an international level.
As a special guest of Utah State Senator Orrin Hatch, Miss Victor spoke to over 2,000 women at the 13th Annual Women's Conference in Salt Lake City. During her visit to Utah she was also the special guest on the television show, Utah '97, hosted by Chris Vanocur. At the Utah State Capital, she spoke to over 500 student members of the Utah State Advisory Committee.
In December 1997, Miss Victor returned to the screen as an actress in the television movie "Target Earth". E! Entertainment Television went on location with Miss Victor in North Carolina to cover her much awaited return to acting. She has continued to exercise her craft by working with "A Shakespeare Group", led by Martin Sheen.
She has also appeared on the hit daytime show The View, hosted by Meredith Viera, and has been a special guest on the television show Northwest Afternoon in Seattle.
Whether Stephani Victor is speaking to inner city schools or the Utah
State Advisory Committee, or appearing on national and international television,
audiences realize something quite extraordinary is happening. Stephani
Victor is someone who possesses the rarest of gifts: the ability to positively
inspire, motivate and lead. And perhaps change a few lives along
the way.
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