Lorena Acevedo

Nearing the end of his high school career, Ruben Cruz has gained the distinction of becoming a Posse Scholar. He will beattending Franklin and Marshall College in the fall.

As the Class of 2024’s graduation grows closer and college decisions are being made all around, the seniors of Coral Gables Senior High are busy weighing their options and making choices that will impact the rest of their lives. Among these students, senior Ruben Cruz has officially enrolled at Franklin & Marshall College by becoming a Posse Scholar.

In his sophomore year, he was able to get together with friends and find a club sponsor to create a club of his own. As someone who has always had a passion for chess and seeing the sport not available at school, Cruz jumped at the opportunity of founding the Gables Chess Club.  It was here he was able to sharpen his leadership skills, planning and hosting meetings. Those skills were only fostered further as he went on to become a Peer Health Educator as part of the Health Information Project. As a PHE, Cruz was given the responsibility to educate his younger peers leading discussions about at times difficult topics.

Outside of his Gables routine, Cruz has spent eight years as a part of Breakthrough Miami. As the years passed, he found himself quickly moving from student, to volunteer and finally to teaching fellow. Spending his summers tutoring younger kids and going on field trips, he was able to help enrich their minds and make a positive impact on his community.

“Ruben is the brother I always wished I had growing up. He is there for me at any time of the day and will never miss a phone call. Seeing him grow throughout these high school years has been an honor because he inspires me to put all my effort into the things I do every day. Whether it’s schoolwork, making time for myself, cooking, or even making people laugh, Ruben is someone I can count on for anything,” senior Amelie Valdes said.

“It was like paying it forward to the program that has given so much to me. It’s given me opportunities like internships, help with college apps, with choosing schools and guiding me towards my own academic success. It’s even the reason I applied for Posse and was able to receive a nomination from a coworker who was a Posse alum,” senior Cruz said.

Following his nomination, Cruz began the extensive Posse interview process. During this period, Cruz aimed to take it one step at a time, facing it as calmly as possible and letting his personality shine through. The Posse candidates completed a series of varying interviews, ranging from a 150-student team-building exercise to a one-on-one discussion. The final interview took the form of a 20-person round table style discussion where the candidates were asked questions allowing them to dig deeper and have open conversations.

“You gotta be honest, you gotta be open, be vulnerable and be open to meeting new people. That’s what it’s all about,” senior Ruben Cruz said.

Along the journey, Posse-elect candidates are matched with a college that partners with The Posse Foundation. Doing his research while preparing to rank them from first to last choice, Cruz became enamored by Franklin and Marshall College. Initially being drawn to the campus and overall feel, Cruz completed a spreadsheet, including a “pros and cons list” to fully visualize all that would come with attending the university. To Cruz, Franklin & Marshall College took his number one slot across all criteria.

“Seeing him get the Posse scholarship made my eyes water. As soon as I heard the news, there was nothing I would’ve rather done than give him the biggest hug and tell him how proud I was. Seeing Ruben get nervous over the Posse interviews was something I was able to laugh about because I knew that he was going to get it. He is the most deserving and hardworking person I know,” senior Valdes said.

On the day of his final interview, Cruz returned home to tutor a friend for Calculus A/B. As the hours passed, his mind remained engaged on what he had experienced and what would be the outcome. While awaiting his results, Cruz’s phone died. Spending his evening overthinking, he figured his response would come on the following day. As his phone rebooted, the first thing he saw was a message from the Posse team.

Cruz and his household erupted in excitement as they anticipated the best. The message had asked Cruz to join a Zoom call for additional questions. It was then his and his family’s suspicions had been confirmed, Cruz was officially a Posse Scholar.

“I’m definitely looking forward to meeting new people and making new connections. I think that a very important part of the college experience is meeting new people, because when we leave high school, it’s gonna be very difficult. After all, you’re gonna be leaving all your friends… and all the relationships are gone or put on pause. So in college, I’d say I’m very excited to meet new people and get the Posse experience,” senior Cruz said.

Cruz’s acceptance is only the beginning. As he closes this chapter and opens up one leading toward his future, Cruz aspires to grow in every aspect. Perusing a career in economics or computer science, all roads lead to success for Cruz as he shoots for greatness and makes his cavalier family proud.