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Paola N. Ruiz of Wayne, New Jersey delivered the undergraduate student address for the William Paterson Class of 2021 virtual commencement ceremony.
“I am a first-generation college student and my biggest dream growing up was to be able to attend college,” says Ruiz. “To some people it may seem like the average course of life-events, but to me, an immigrant from a low-income family, going to college was my wildest dream.”
Ruiz graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in communication, with a concentration in media production. She was selected to speak as one of the highest-achieving graduates in the College of the Arts and Communication. Beginning last year, undergraduate and graduate commencement speakers rotate through the University’s colleges.
She has been actively involved on campus, including serving as an on-camera correspondent for WPTV Rumor Report and a member of the visual content team for the University’s student-run radio station WPSC Brave New Radio. She served as public relations chair of the Intersectional Queer Association and was a student representative from the College of the Arts and Communication to the Student Government Association.
A member of the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program, Ruiz has been the recipient of the EOF Academic Excellence Award and was inducted in Chi Alpha Epsilon, the EOF honor society.
Ruiz also has served for nearly three years as a social media intern in the Department of Marketing and Public Relations, where she developed student-centered content for the University’s student-to-student social media initiative, TwillyP, which is designed to increase University pride and build campus community.
“I’m honored to call myself a Pioneer… a resilient Pioneer who received an education and paved my path at WP,” says Ruiz. “I am thankful to all the family, friends, and professors who helped me get here.”
