Local woman named Universal Peace Federation’s National Parent of the Year

A Los Lunas mother has been able to turn the grief of the sudden loss of her son into healing and help for other families who have gone through the same traumatic experience.

Victoria Sanchez, of Los Lunas, was recently named the Universal Peace Federation’s National Parent of the Year for 2025, after her years of work to help other parents through their journey following the 2020 death of her son, Cody Austin Sanchez, 23. She was nominated for the award by social media influencer Eric Zuley.

“I did a lot of self-reflection and inner work,” Victoria said. “When he was shot so tragically, his history was cut short and I had to finish his journey for him.”

Cody was an air rifle Olympic hopeful and five-time National Shooting Champion. He took up the sport at 13 and Sanchez dove in with him, becoming his coach and traveling extensively with him to competitions.

After his death, Sanchez looked for ways to channel her own grief and remember her son’s spirit.

“I started journaling as a means of therapy. To put my thoughts together and walk this journey,” she said.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sanchez had to find ways to mourn mostly on her own. So she began taking solo rides on her son’s ATV.

“I needed to get away, out of my house. I felt like I was in jail or a cage, but I didn’t really want to be around people either,” she said. “I started riding up by Tomé Hill. Cody and I went every Good Friday and I felt like his spirit was there, his essence was there.”

Riding the sand dunes near the hill, Sanchez road more than 12,000 miles, contemplating and processing. She would sit and watch the sun set, bare feet planted in the sand, grounding herself. She would get caught in the rain and instead of fleeing for shelter, she would sit in the down pour.

“It was my time to be with him, listen to him,” she said. “And I prayed over the valley. I prayed over everyone.”

During this time, Sanchez would record herself on her phone, giving literal voice to her sorrows. One day, she unintentionally went live on Facebook.

“I just kind of poured out my story and a lot of people reached out. That’s kind of where it all started. From there, people invited me into these groups around the globe. I got involved with the TED X people, other speaking engagements. I’ve done interviews and podcasts. It just kind of evolved,” she said. “Now I do trauma-informed advocacy with people. I help them regulate, help them find hope and a reason to move forward for their children and create a legacy.”

In addition to her Parent of the Year honor, Sanchez was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters by the UFP in September for her advocacy and fundraising for causes including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, fallen officers, cancer patients, veterans, autism, rescue animals, fentanyl awareness, the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, domestic violence survivors, Better Vision for Children, Kawasaki disease and gun violence prevention.

To learn more about Sanchez and her work, visit ridewithvictoria.com.