Staff profile; student outreach

“I’m always excited to help people, and I’m always wanting to be available to teach people the skills that they need to be successful in the future,” said Jessica Ruiz, coordinator of Mt. Hood’s Student Outreach And Recruitment (SOAR) program.

Ruiz started working at Mt. Hood in academic advising, and was moved around to different positions in the area.

“I had kind of a split role,” she said. She realized that she really loved academic advising and makes sure she continues some advising, no matter what her official position is. She finds it “just another blessing because you’re able to help people, and give them different options, and help them feel really educated,” she said.

Working as a student recruiter and adviser, Ruiz calls herself as a “double threat.” Not only does she convince students to come to Mt. Hood, “but once they get here, I can actually take them to the next process.”

As she helps students make their decisions on academic ambitions, Ruiz taps into experience she calls her “master’s in explaining.” She can elaborate “in five different ways, including color and song,” she said, relishing the chance to take extra time to lay out options so that students can understand.

Before coming to Mt. Hood, Ruiz attended Western Oregon University to study business. While at Western, she joined a multicultural student union club on campus. “I was kind of a quiet, shy person, and that club got me to break out and I ran for (a position on) an executive board.”

Ruiz enjoyed working on the campus. That passion showed, and she received job offers in the admission center at Western. She took on some recruiting work and soon realized she had found her calling.

“I loved every minute of it, and that’s kind of where I thought, ‘I really enjoy helping students and I think that’s what my career path is going to be,’ ” she said. “Pretty much after I graduated with my business degree, I decided to clock into education.”

After she graduated, Ruiz did some tele-counseling work before attending Warner Pacific University to pursue a master’s degree in management and organizational leadership. She describes the program as “teaching you coaching and mentoring, how to be an effective leader, and how to manage as a leader.”

Her Warner Pacific training helped groom her leadership skills. “It kind of worked out really well for my SOAR team because it’s teaching me how to coach and mentor them to be successful leaders,” she said.

Beyond her work for MHCC, Ruiz owns two businesses, a convenience store in California, and a car lot in Idaho.

She is also a professional singer.

“My husband and I have our own band,” said Ruiz. The two sing exclusively in Spanish, and have a published CD. “We call it religious Spanish music,” she said.

She and Koren, her husband, play many local concerts. They’re working on their second CD and have posted a few videos on their website (www.korenyjessica.com).

As for her service at Mt. Hood, Ruiz said, “I feel like I’m a lifer.

“I’m gonna be here, probably, until the end of my days, or until I can retire, just ’cause I love the college and what it stands for,” she said.

Students need an education to achieve, and Mt. Hood plays a vital role, Ruiz said.

“(When) they go into our society, and our communities, they are successful in their jobs because of their background that they got from us. They’re able to enhance our society.”