Victoria Falk

University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business

“An empathetic, authentic leader passionate about building teams and changing lives through purpose-driven impact.”

Hometown: Lake Forest, IL

Fun Fact About Yourself:  After being injured on deployment and told I’d never run again, I won the Chicago Triathlon in my division and got to check off a bucket list dream by competing alongside my dad.

Undergraduate School and Major: United States Military Academy at West Point, Business Management

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Bank of America, Quantitative Analyst

What makes Austin such a great place to earn an MBA? Austin is a great place to earn an MBA because it blends a booming business ecosystem with an unbeatable quality of life. As a major hub for tech, startups, and innovation, it offers hands-on learning, real world consulting opportunities, and organic networking with ambitious, purpose driven leaders. The city’s collaborative culture and vibrant lifestyle make it easy to grow professionally while staying energized and balanced.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Texas McCombs’ MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? A key part of Texas McCombs’ MBA program that led me to choose the school is its strong emphasis on experiential, hands-on learning—especially through real-world consulting and immersion projects. McCombs goes beyond theory by embedding students directly in live business challenges, allowing them to apply classroom concepts to high-impact, ambiguous situations. This was important to me because I’ve learned best by doing—whether leading teams in the military or driving change in complex organizations. I wanted an MBA program that would sharpen my ability to translate strategy into action while delivering tangible results.

What course, club or activity excites you the most at Texas McCombs? The Texas Veterans in Business (TVIB) organization excites me most because of its close knit, service driven community. TVIB members consistently go above-and-beyond to support not only fellow veterans but the entire MBA class, creating an inclusive, collaborative culture rooted in leadership and service. As a veteran, being part of a group that values mentorship, camaraderie, and giving back is deeply important to me, and I’m excited to both contribute to and grow within this community at McCombs.

When you think of the University of Texas, what word comes to mind? Why? Impact. UT represents impact because it turns ambition into meaningful change, fostering leaders who care deeply about lifting others and leaving things better than they found them.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest career accomplishment was leading and being responsible for over 1,300 Soldiers across multiple continents and time zones. I managed complex operations in high-pressure environments, built cohesive teams despite distance and cultural differences, and ensured mission readiness while prioritizing the well-being and development of my people.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience at McCombs successful? In two years, my McCombs MBA will be successful if I leave having grown as a leader, built a diverse, high-impact network, and gained the skills to drive meaningful organizational change. Success means not just mastering business concepts, but applying them through hands-on projects, contributing to communities like TVIB, and emerging ready to lead teams with purpose, empathy, and results.

DON’T MISS: MEET THE TEXAS MCCOMBS MBA CLASS OF 2027

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