Her Story
About Tracy
Tracy Boulukos serves as Assistant Vice President for Financial Aid and Student Success Initiatives at Florida Atlantic University. She has been with the institution for 30 years, having started in 1994, and reports through the associate provost to the provost. Her primary areas of expertise include financial aid, student success, and the Florida public higher education landscape. Boulukos earned a bachelor's degree from Ohio Wesleyan University, where she majored in pre-law with a minor in political science, and a master's degree from Kaplan University in leadership with a concentration in change management. She maintains her skills through LinkedIn Learning, particularly in response to changes such as the influence of artificial intelligence. Boulukos is a member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the Coalition of State University Aid Administrators. She volunteers with Bridge to Life, a Broward County organization that helps students complete school, become credentialed, and launch careers. Boulukos attributes her success to her passion for her work and for helping people. She values integrity and ethics, emphasizing the importance of doing the right thing for the right reasons, staying the course, and remaining tenacious even when progress takes time. Among the advice she offers to young women entering the field is to position oneself as a problem-solver whom others want on their team, to take up space with ideas, and to understand the inner workings of the organization. She sees significant opportunity in higher education due to major changes and artificial intelligence, noting that success will favor critical thinkers who are analytical and ethically responsible.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Tracy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to passion for what I do and passion for helping people.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received was from a mentor who told me to maintain the status quo when she was leaving, but I instinctively knew to do the opposite and not maintain it, which has served me well. Sometimes it's knowing what not to listen to as much as what to listen to.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Try to be the person that others call on when there's a problem to be solved. They want you on that team, they want you in that room. Don't be afraid to come up with your ideas. Take up space. Get to know the ins and outs and the intricacies of how your organization operates.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There is so much opportunity because we are at the precipice of some major change in higher education and the influence of artificial intelligence. The people who will be most successful are critical thinkers who are analytical, critically think about things, and have ethical responsibility.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity and ethics are most important. You have to do the right thing for the right reasons. Sometimes you have to settle in that it may take a long time but it doesn't mean just give up, stay the course, keep moving things in the right direction, and be tenacious.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.