Katerina Victor

**Katerina Victor** (previously **Dvorak**; Czech: *Kateřina Dvořáková*; born 18 December 1966) is a Czech-born Hawaiian politician, activist, and former model. She was first elected to the National Assembly of Hawaii in 2015, representing the Motherland Party.

Born in Prague, Victor immigrated to California with her family at age 16, settling in Los Angeles. After graduating from Louisville High School in 1985, Victor worked as a model in Los Angeles. She left the modeling industry in 1990, beginning a career in the tourism industry as a hotel concierge. Victor left California in 1996, and moved to Hawaii, continuing her work in the tourism industry at Oahu resorts. After receiving her bachelor's degree in business from Hawaii Pacific University in 2006, Victor left her career in tourism to focus on political activism. With her husband Bruce Victor, Victor organized rallies for the Motherland Party and served as a party spokesperson.

Victor's political career began after being included on the Motherland Party ticket for the 2015 Hawaiian general election. The party ended up winning enough seats in the National Assembly, and Victor was elected to parliament. In parliament, Victor has faced massive criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. She has been criticized for being a "parrot" of her husband, supporting him blindly on policies and showing little independent knowledge of political workings outside of what her husband has already stated. Additionally, she has been labeled a hypocrite for being an immigrant representing an anti-immigration political party.

## Early life and family

Victor was born on 16 December 1966 in Prague to parents Aleš Dvořák and Hedvička Dvořáková (née *Horáčková*). Aleš worked as a genito-urinary surgeon, while Hedvička was a former model and housewife. The family was quite affluent, and Victor was raised in a three-story nine-bedroom house in the wealthy Střešovice neighborhood of Prague. In 1983, the family left Czechoslovakia for California, after Victor emphasized to her parents her desire to pursue a career in the Californian entertainment industry. They settled in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.

After arriving in California, Aleš and Hedvička Anglicized their names to Alex and Vichka, while the family surname was changed to Dvorak. Victor is the elder of two children; her younger brother is Lukáš, born  (1970-07-11) 11 July 1970 (age 53). Lukáš was born with Down syndrome, and remained in Prague with his paternal grandparents after the family immigrated to California.

## Education and early career

Victor began her education in 1973, attending local public schooling in Prague. After arriving in Los Angeles in 1983, Victor began attending private schooling. She began her education at Louisville High School, an all-girls Catholic school, after immigrating, and graduated in 1985. Victor was popular in high school, stating that others saw her as "the cool foreign girl".

Victor began a career in modeling as a 16-year-old, shortly after arriving in California. After graduating from high school, she began pursuing modeling full-time. Despite initially wishing to become an actress, she ultimately decided to stick with the modeling industry. Victor left modeling in 1990, and began working as a luxury concierge at a Beverly Hills resort. In 1996, she left California for Hawaii, where she began working as a bartender and luxury concierge at Oahu beach resorts and a promotional model. Victor began attending Hawaii Pacific University in 2001, and later received a bachelor's degree in business in 2006. After graduating with her degree, she switched her career focus to political activism. With her husband Bruce Victor, Victor organized rallies for the Motherland Party and served as a party spokesperson.

## Political career

### National Assembly

In 2014, Victor was invited by the Motherland Party to be included on their ticket for the 2015 Hawaiian general election. The party ultimately won enough seats for Victor to be seated, and she became a member of the National Assembly. In parliament, Victor has faced massive criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. She has been criticized for being a "parrot" of her husband, supporting him blindly on policies and showing little independent knowledge of political workings outside of what her husband has already stated. Additionally, she has been labeled a hypocrite for being an immigrant representing an anti-immigration political party.

## Personal life

Victor naturalized as a Hawaiian citizen in 2003. After her naturalization, she renounced her Czech and Californian citizenships. Victor had previously naturalized as a Californian citizen in 1988, and was born a Czech citizen. Victor began dating Hawaiian politician and lawyer Bruce Victor in 2000. They became engaged in 2002 and married later that year. Together, they have one child: Anya, born  (2003-03-13) 13 March 2003 (age 20). The family resides in the Kāhala neighborhood of Honolulu.

Victor speaks fluent Czech and English, and is also conversational in Slovak, Polish, and German. She converted from Roman Catholicism to Evangelical Protestantism in 2002, prior to her wedding.