About the Author

Behind 'Sincerely, a Daydreamer'

Photo Credit: Victoria Cui

Hello and welcome! I often introduce myself as Toria, considering that is what most people call me. But my mother named me Victoria Elizabeth, and I feel that name is more fitting for this page.

I’ve realized that when people hear “Victoria Elizabeth,” they think of a certain aesthetic. Most of the time, people mention royalty and the Victorian Era, but they sometimes also picture a vintage, old-fashioned lady. And though I’m technically a Lady in title (thanks to a friend who bought a tiny square of Scottish land in my name), I am not actually an old-fashioned lady. Though I do have many old-fashioned interests that I feel paints a picture of who I am.

Photo Credit: Victoria Cui

I love film photography and analog photos, vintage cars, and embroidering by hand. I send mail in brown paper packages and collect books like a historian living in a library. I cling to cursive handwriting, and signed, handwritten letters all while living much of my life inside my own thoughts. Hence, Sincerely, a Daydreamer.

Outside of the Daydreams

Now, in the real world, I am a Journalism and Media Studies major with a concentration in Video Production. I just recently completed an Associates in English, and I hope I can apply what I’ve learned in written storytelling to visual storytelling as well.

"The way we experience story will evolve, but as storytelling animals, we will no more give it up than start walking on all fours." - Jonathan Gottschall

Like most English majors, I am an avid reader and truly enjoy writing. Unlike most English majors, I admit that I don’t have the patience to work with written words alone. But for someone who found a sense of peace in storybooks when reality became overwhelming, I want to be able to do the same for others, even if it's not with words.

Photo Credit: Victoria Cui

Over the past five years, I have been volunteering for an international broadcasting corporation called Eagle News Broadcasting, now referred to as Net 25. I’ve shot on-cams, been on-cam, edited packages, revised scripts, and realized just how much I despised speaking and being in front of the camera, but how much I loved working behind the scenes.

I found that so much can be told in a single photo or even in the way a video is edited, so my hope is to produce visual stories that affect people similar to the way books affected me.

A Future in Media

Interestingly enough, I often try to stay away from things like social media as much as I can. It's where my old-fashioned side comes into play. But I still have a great interest in building up a career in media, particularly on the creative production side of things.

Though I do wonder what theories people have of how digital media may evolve throughout the years when it's already become so advanced, and how it may affect future jobs. As well as whether its evolution will truly change how the world works as a whole.

Photo Credit: Victoria Cui

Will media go beyond the screens and into the real world with things like the Metaverse and the common use of AI? Or is it possible to return to a time when people interact with others face to face and regulate their consumption of media?

Regardless of what changes (or what doesn't), I'm excited to move forward and learn more in the years to come.