All roads to college begin in the Office of Financial Aid where Vicki Hendrickson says she has one of the best jobs on campus. As director of Student Financial Services, Hendrickson considers it a privilege to guide students and their parents down the financial path to graduation. Over the past 16 years, she has dedicated her career to improving TU’s financial aid process with unwavering enthusiasm. “I’m fortunate to have an incredible job and honored to work for the university in this role,” she said. “I have a great staff, and without them I would be nobody.” Hendrickson oversees the Office of Financial Aid and administers scholarships. Through careful analysis of costs and expenses, a customized aid package is crafted for each student who applies to TU. A few years ago, she spearheaded a project that implemented new academic requirements for scholarships. “Every family has a puzzle, and every puzzle is different,” she said. “We start in January, and by the time that student arrives in August, we’ve found the pieces that help it all come together.” Hendrickson’s expertise is rooted in valuable financial aid experience she first gained working at a guarantee agency for the Oklahoma State Regents. She also worked in the Office of Financial Aid at Oklahoma City University for 10 years, serving as assistant director and later as director. Hendrickson studied public administration at the University of Oklahoma and received her MBA from OCU, but her family is closely tied to TU. As a child, she admired her father’s determination to juggle work and school for seven years to earn a TU mechanical engineering degree. “That’s what made it so special to work here,” Hendrickson said. “TU is such a phenomenal school and is held in such high esteem.” Her sister, Carri Crutchfield Wilson (BA ’84), and daughter, Jordan (BS ’14), also are alumnae. Jordan was named a Jess Chouteau Outstanding Senior and crowned Homecoming Queen in 2013. She currently is a student at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Hendrickson and her husband, Steve, also are proud parents of son Landon, a sophomore at Texas Christian University. In addition to traveling and volunteering at her church, Hendrickson is a devoted Golden Hurricane sports fan and enjoys watching football, basketball and soccer. As Ms. Homecoming, she beams with TU spirit and is respected for her talents as a compassionate mentor and supportive financial aid expert. “I’ve been in education my whole life, and I believe that anybody who can further their education is going to benefit from it – one way or another,” she said.