Anyone wondering about the transformative power of the San Diego College of Continuing Education need to look no further than Beatriz Cruz.

As she tells it, Cruz was once living the life of a struggling farmworker and began picking grapes, tomatoes and whatever other crops were in season at an early age. School wasn’t even an afterthought or a priority. By her late 20s, the Oaxaca native couldn’t speak more than a few words of English. It was when she was looking at a photo of her young daughter holding a 25-pound tray of grapes in a San Joaquin Valley vineyard that Cruz realized she had enough.

“I asked myself, ‘Is this what you really want for your family? Do you want your children to continue in this chain of poverty?’” said Cruz. “I said, ‘No.’ I decided there needed to be a change in my life. I did not want that kind of life for my children. I didn’t want to work in the fields anymore. I asked God for a change, later I realize that I wanted an education to at least be able to help my children to do their homework” 

Thanks to the San Diego College of Continuing Education’s Cesar Chavez campus and supportive faculty and professional staff, Cruz earned her GED, learned English and microcomputer basics, and ultimately transferred to San Diego State University (where she was twice named to the Dean’s List) for her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Child Development. 

Now she’s back at the College of Continuing Education, this time at the North City Campus in Serra Mesa, where she is employed as a classified professional who validates, and processes certificates of achievements earned by students striving to overcome obstacles similar to those she faced or wanting to evolve in their chosen career paths.

“Beatriz is truly touched by our students’ need for help with registration, password resets, frustrations with enrollment, and excitement about a class,” said North City Dean Michelle Gray. “She quickly became an important part of our support system and we love having her here.”

The feeling is mutual. “Every time I deliver a certificate to a student, I get excited for their accomplishment and congratulate them, I think I get more emotional than they do,” said Cruz. “I’m here because I love serving our students and I want them to succeed like I was able to succeed, I am also here to support everyone as much as I was supported. This is where I want to be. This is where I love being.”

Her story highlights the challenges and contributions of the Latino community and why Hispanic Heritage Month matters. 

Her persistence has earned numerous admirers along the way. One of them is Patti Buse, a student services supervisor. Said Buse:

“Beatriz is an extraordinarily remarkable, and resilient woman. She has preserved through hardships that most would have folded under, but kept her kindness and compassion intact. She has a dedication to students and a heartfelt desire to see them accomplish their life goals. Beatriz is a beautiful person inside and out. She has the most positive and warm disposition, and you can feel her compassion and dedication when you speak with her. She has accomplished so much but always gives credit to others for her attaining her goals. She is an amazing and inspiring person and I’m very blessed to be able to call her my friend.”

Born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico, Cruz began toiling in the fields with her migrant worker parents at an age when most children are enrolling in kindergarten. “Picking grapes started in August, the harvest ended by the end of October; school started in August. We only had November, February, March off, so I only went to school for the months there were no jobs to do in the fields. The rest of the time, we were picking grapes, harvesting tomatoes, living the life of a migrant worker.”

Life did not get better when she came to California with her family when she was 11 and settled in the San Joaquin Valley. By the time she was 17, Cruz had two children. While perusing through a photo album of her family, the tears flowed while looking at the picture of her 5-year-old daughter that served as a catalyst in changing her future.

Cruz found a job as a housekeeper for a woman who saw Cruz’s potential and encouraged her to pursue her education. After moving to San Diego, Cruz discovered finding a job without a high school diploma was more difficult than she imagined. She headed to the College of Continuing Education’s Cesar Chavez campus to earn her GED and enroll in computer classes.

“That’s where everything began, that is where the light started shining for me,” said Cruz. “I was afraid to go to college,” she said. “I had barely any education. Just one month here, one month there. But my counselor liked my writing and said, ‘No, you need to go to college. You can do this.’ “

Her confidence building, Cruz transferred to San Diego City College, where support programs such as Puente and EOPS provided the resources and support that led to her thriving academically. After earning an associate degree in child development and an associate degree for transfer in Spanish, Cruz moved on to San Diego State University. 

She began working for the San Diego Community College District 14 years ago, the first 13 of at City College. She and her husband now own a house and a small business in the flooring industry in the San Diego area. One of her four children own a small business, another is a graduate of SDSU, the third is considering going to college, and her youngest is earning straight A’s at O’Farrell Charter School.

“Education changes everything,” she said. “San Diego Continuing Education and City College changed everything for me, and I know for whoever wants to continue their education or is ready to choose a career path, San Diego Continuing Education is the perfect place to begin.”