Ask alum Adrian Cruz what made the difference for him at the University of Oregon, and he’ll say advising support. Or working for a program that inspires high schoolers to pursue higher ed. Or his time with Duck Rides, the free transportation service. 

The point? It’s all outside the classroom. 

Faculty unquestionably inspire countless students each year at the UO. But Cruz, a first-generation college student from an underrepresented background, embodies the potential for UO employees and programs outside the learning environment to shape young lives, as well.

Through hard work and pivotal experiences, Cruz earned a bachelor’s degree in family and human services from the UO in 2021 and a master’s degree in higher education leadership from Bushnell University in 2022 and has joined the UO ranks. He’s now an assistant director of student services, advising students and helping them succeed in higher education.

Cruz always wanted to be a Duck, but he was discouraged at times by the magnitude of a four-year university and its challenges — applications, financial aid and scholarship questions, how to navigate college life. After high school he enrolled at Lane Community College. 

But he was drawn to the UO, even then. 

Cruz is the definition of “mission driven”: if an organization’s objective speaks to him, he’s as likely as not to get involved. While at LCC, Cruz learned about two UO programs and soon joined them: Duck Rides, a service that reduces the risk of DUIs by providing free nighttime transportation for students and employees; and the Student Academy to Inspire Learning or SAIL, which encourages Oregon high school students to pursue higher education. 

His time as a SAIL counselor was particularly transformative, helping him embrace his own identity.

Historically, Cruz had only confronted his Latino background when singled out as “other” in high school. But through his work with other SAIL counselors, many of whom had faced personal challenges such as homelessness, foster care or being treated differently because of their skin color or other reasons, he began to recognize more of who he was. 

“I said to myself, ‘I’m not the only one who has experienced these things,’” Cruz said. “Being such an introverted person, I had never really talked to people about my own identity and what I had gone through. Just being able to do that, it was very empowering.”

It is in programs like SAIL, which provide safe spaces for students to discover and accept their identity, that they can truly grow personally and professionally, he added.

By 2019, Cruz was eager to enroll at the UO — but he needed someone to tell him he could succeed. First-generation students such as Cruz sometimes struggle with “imposter syndrome,” a fear they don’t belong, said Silvina Sousa-Ransford, interim director of the Office of Academic Advising.

Christi Boyter, then an academic adviser in the College of Education, dispelled any doubts. Cruz was drawn to the college’s family and human services program; he connected with Boyter for information, and she walked him through applying. More than that, though, as Cruz moved through the UO, Boyter supported him every step of the way, offering suggestions not just on courses but career preparation and other questions about college. 

“He took my advice and ran with it,” said Boyter, now with The Ford Family Foundation. “Adrian showed a strong work ethic and a positive attitude and that’s really been pivotal in his career.” 

The kind of comprehensive support that Boyter provided is standard operating procedure for UO advising, Sousa-Ransford said — consideration of the “whole” student is critical for success. Advisers offer guidance on social life, personal challenges and anything else that students want to discuss. 

Cruz found advising support so empowering, in fact, that he chose this profession for himself and began working toward it. He took on ever more responsibility with SAIL and Duck Rides, developing job skills and learning more about sides of the university he wouldn’t otherwise encounter. 

Over six years with Duck Rides, in fact, Cruz moved from a volunteer to a student employee as the education/outreach coordinator to the professional role of program specialist to interim shuttle program manager. He learned operations (program compliance, budgets, technology, logistics) and interpersonal relations (he supervised and trained more than 40 student employees). Cruz was named student employee of the year in 2021, in part for pushing the Duck Rides team to consider ways to improve and grow. 

“He just always strove for success,” said Ashley Dougherty, associate director of the Security Operations Center. “He knew he had a bigger goal and that his work with Duck Rides was a step in the right direction of meeting more people and being more integrated into the university. Building those relationships was key to his future success and we were happy to support him.” 

Today Cruz is an assistant director of student services with the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health. He also works with students through the Office of Academic Advising.

Julie Wren, senior director and chief of staff for the institute, called Cruz “the bedrock” of the institute’s 2+2 operation in Eugene. Students live and learn together as a cohort for two years on the Eugene campus before moving to Portland for the second two years of a program that trains them to become professional child behavioral health specialists.

Said Wren: “We are incredibly fortunate to have Adrian’s relentless dedication to securing resources and support that enrich the experience of child behavioral health students and UO students as a whole.”

Sousa-Ransford said Cruz’s background makes him particularly well suited to connect with the 37 percent of undergraduates who identify as Latino/a/x, Native American, Asian, Black or Pacific Islander, and the 20 percent-plus who are first-generation college students. 

“To have someone like Adrian who’s been in that place, who looks like you or speaks like you, who’s been in your shoes, you don’t feel like you have to keep explaining yourself,” she said. “Adrian is such a great representation of the kind of folks that come through the UO and stay at the UO to try to improve that student experience.” 

Cruz was raised with a strong work ethic and a commitment to helping others whenever possible. Reflecting on his journey to and through UO — the prejudices he encountered growing up, the long hours he dedicated to work while his peers enjoyed their social lives and the various UO activities that shaped him despite consuming his free time — he confidently says he would “100 percent” do it all over again. 

 “I did it for my future,” Cruz shared. “My parents always told me, ‘You need to pursue an education because we didn’t have that opportunity.’ I’ve come this far, and now I want to give back and help others navigate the system. There’s nothing more rewarding than helping others.”

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