Victor de la Cruz Matos was born and raised in Lima, Peru. In his early 20s, he immigrated to the United States, becoming an undocumented immigrant as a young adult. This experience shaped Victor's worldview and motivated him to advocate for himself and other immigrants. Being undocumented pushed Victor to pursue his education, ultimately leading him to become the first college graduate in his family.

Being an undocumented immigrant, Victor possesses a firsthand understanding of the challenges of lacking legal immigration status, which motivates his determination to pursue education for enhanced support of immigrant communities. He achieved a significant milestone by graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the  University of California, Berkeley. With his recent college graduation and ambitions to pursue a Ph.D. in Psychology, he aims to start a non-profit organization that makes a meaningful impact by providing accessible, inclusive, and quality mental health services to those who need them most.

As a research assistant, Victor volunteers in the Emotion, Health, and Psychophysiology lab at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is involved in conducting lab studies, sleep lab studies, field studies, acquiring autonomic and neuroendocrine data, and editing and scoring physiological responses. His involvement in the Emotion, Health, and Psychophysiology lab at UCSF demonstrates his commitment to research and his passion for helping others through his work.

For the DreamSF Fellowship, Victor is placed at the San Francisco Latino Parity and Equity Coalition (SFLPEC). He supports the coalition’s community outreach by planning and organizing community meetings and focus groups to conduct a needs assessment to help the membership prioritize community-informed solutions.

Victor enjoys playing the guitar or ukulele in his free time and he loves going to the beach. He likes trying new restaurants and visiting new places with his lovely wife.