In January of 2001, Reyna enrolled at Spearman High School. She encountered many struggles through her high school years; including racism, discrimination and denial of her right to an education. A counselor held her back a year because the school did not want to validate her school credits from Mexico. Her parents attempted to give their daughter an opportunity make up the credits with an accreditation test, but the school responded with “Don’t worry about it, she will be like any other Mexican that might finishes high school, she'll get married and have kids. So it won’t even matter if she finishes high school early or not.” Reyna was not only infuriated by what she had heard, she was also fueled to prove them wrong.
With her father and mother as role models, Ruiz graduated in 2003, just two years and a half after she began high school. She went to summer school to obtain the credits she needed. During her senior year, she was involved in many extracurricular activities, including cross country, basketball, tennis (where she placed second in her district), track, and she was active in church. Even though she graduated on time, Ruiz was left with a bittersweet memory of her high school days.
After graduation, Ruiz was at a crossroad; she didn’t know where life would take her. All she knew was that she wanted to pursue higher education. Even though high school was not the best experience, there was one person that made things easier for her and helped her accomplish things: her teacher, Mr. Castro. He pointed her in the right direction by taking Reyna and her family to enroll her at Frank Philips College (FPC) in Borger, Texas. Ruiz’s excellent high school GPA exempted her from any entry level exams, allowing her to start at a university level.
College was a whole new world, still with some challenges, but nothing Ruiz couldn’t handle. With the school 45 miles from home, Ruiz was unable to be with her family, so she was excited when the winter break allowed her to have some family time.
On January 15, 2004 Ruiz was struck with horrible news. Her father, Gerardo, had been in a fatal accident at work. The passing of her father made Ruiz more determined to excel in life, and she put her faith in God that everything was going to work out.
In her second semester, she strived to achieve higher grades, and made the Dean's List for the rest of the semesters at FPC. She was even awarded several scholarships to pay for her classes. After graduating from FPC with her Associates, she enrolled in West Texas A&M University in 2005, earning her Bachelors in Science in 2008, and her Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2011. She was a member of both the Kappa Delta Pi and Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, president of The Society of Latinos (SOL), and was part of the Student Leadership Team at church. She was also part of The National Society of Leadership and Success.
Ruiz is presently the coordinator at ICIE and the lead personnel at Stop Dreaming & Live. Pouring her knowledge into her work and helping those that cross her path with a humble and loving heart.
Ruiz promised herself that one day she would become somebody that would could a path for others to follow. “Nothing is impossible, if it is God’s will, you will be able to obtain whatever you want with hard work and determination," she says.
“Study whatever you want or do whatever you want, but do something that you will love
to do, because this will be something that you will do for the rest of your life.” – Gerardo Ruiz
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