Off The Cuff: Mileiry De La Cruz

April 5, 2021

Our CCRI faculty and staff are a diverse group with many fascinating hobbies and interests that keep them busy during their free time off campus. Welcome to "Off the Cuff, where we profile a member of our CCRI family to find out what makes them tick. Hopefully, their stories inspire others and help us develop new connections and friendships with our CCRI colleagues.

As our "Off the Cuff" segment makes its long-awaited return, there's no one on campus more deserving than Donor Engagement Officer Mileiry De La Cruz, a Providence native, CCRI alumna, and jack-of-all-trades superstar who is now making an impact within the Office of Institutional Advancement only three years after earning her associate degree.

A graduate of CCRI's Joint Admissions Agreement (JAA) program, De La Cruz kept busy during her time as a student, working in the Enrollment Services office in addition to serving as a tour guide at various on-campus events in her role as a Student Ambassador. After graduating from CCRI, De La Cruz earned her bachelor's degree in Communications at Rhode Island College with a concentration in Public and Professional Studies. 

Thanks to the nationwide Ronald E. McNair Achievement Program aimed toward helping first-generation and low-income students transition to graduate school, De La Cruz is pursuing her master’s in Higher Education Administration at Providence College and working at her alma mater all while embarking on her own soap-making business with her friend and fellow CCRI alumna, Yenniffer Duran. 

As always, De La Cruz has a lot on her plate, but continues to balance each endeavor effortlessly. Check out more below in today's "Off the Cuff" as we find out what brought De La Cruz back to CCRI and how she got involved in the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship. 

Now that you have earned an Associate Degree and Bachelor’s, what is the next step in your educational journey?

During my tenure as a CCRI student, I was able to discover my passion for helping students when I was a Student Ambassador at the Knight campus. Even before graduating from Rhode Island College in 2020 with my B.A in Communication, I knew that I wanted to pursue a master's degree in higher education to help college students succeed. Thanks to the support I received from CCRI and the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program, I was accepted into Providence College’s Higher Education Master’s program in the Fall of 2020. I am currently in my second semester at PC and feel satisfied knowing that I am enrolled in the graduate program of my dreams.

After I graduate from Providence College, my goal is to pursue a doctorate degree in higher education administration to become a college vice president or even a college president someday! I hope to inspire future first-generation, low-income college students like myself and prove that you can succeed, regardless of your background. One of my favorite quotes is “She believed she could, so she did.” CCRI’s faculty and staff believed in my ability to achieve everything I put my mind to, and I am doing exactly that. I am now CCRI’s Donor Engagement Officer, a graduate student at Providence College and the co-owner of my small business, SelfcarebyYM LLC.

How long have you been employed by CCRI and what are your main responsibilities in this new role?

On September 2, 2020, I was thrilled to have returned to my alma mater and work full-time as CCRI’s Donor Engagement Officer in the Office of Institutional Advancement. I thank Bobby Gondola, our AVP for Institutional Advancement, for granting me the opportunity to serve CCRI students. In my role as Donor Engagement Officer, I lead alumni relations, communications and events for CCRI’s Foundation team with the goal of building a strong network of CCRI supporters and alumni. Within the past seven months of acquiring this role, I have hosted several virtual alumni events entitled “Alumni After Hours” which are virtual, special-topics conversations preparing students and alumni for inclusive workplaces, affinity connection and programs. I also launched a few social media campaigns where I spotlighted successful, trailblazing CCRI alums for Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month and Women’s History Month to promote the diversity of our alumni who are 80,000+ strong!

In addition to fulfilling this role, I am also a member of CCRI’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council where I serve in the Education and Training and Brand and Visibility subcommittees. I take pride in serving on these subcommittees because I help contribute ways to create an inclusive and equitable environment in the CCRI community and address the needs of our students of color.

How did you get into the soap-making business?

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many people who are starting their own businesses. My business partner, Yenniffer Duran, who is also a 2020 CCRI graduate, and I decided to get into the soap-making business because our mission is to promote the importance of self-care and provide our customers with quality, organic, homemade products. Our avid and artistic minds collaborated and launched SelfcarebyYM LLC in September of 2020! We take pride in our work and sell a variety of homemade goods such as soaps, loofahs, hand poured candles, body wash and more! Yenniffer and I have always dreamt of having our own business and thought this was the appropriate time to start -- especially with the importance of taking care of ourselves during this pandemic. Feel free to check out our website, www.selfcarebyym.com and like us on Facebook, SelfcarebyYM, follow us on Instagram, @selfcareby.ym and LinkedIn, SelfcarebyYM LLC. Support your local businesses!

You’ve always been invested in Higher Education, but can entrepreneurship be a new avenue for you?

Although my top priority is to advance my career in higher education, I certainly invest my time in exploring ways to expand my clientele. In the future, I hope to sell my products in large retail stores such as Walmart, Target and Amazon. I see myself and my business partner thriving with our business and being recognized not just in Rhode Island but across the world. So far, we have had customers purchase our products in various locations, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Illinois, California, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic! Being a young entrepreneur has been an incredible journey so far and I am looking forward to continuing to excel in higher education and the business world.

Looking back at your time at CCRI, what is the best advice you could give to current or incoming students?

As I look back at my time at CCRI, the best advice I could give to current or incoming students is to get involved on campus. Being involved in the CCRI community can create an infinite number of opportunities and help expand your network. After graduating from Classical High School in 2016, I began my first semester at CCRI in the Fall of 2016. I went from being a shy, withdrawn student to being the leader of the Knight campus through my role as a Student Ambassador. This program gave me the opportunity to give tours of the Knight campus, work in the Office of Enrollment Services and represent CCRI at important events on and off campus. In addition to being an ambassador, I was also part of the Access to Opportunity TRIO program and received so much guidance and support thanks to my Access advisor, Stephanie Cruz. If it weren’t for my involvement in these programs, I would not have discovered my leadership abilities and the raw talent that I have. Although being involved might be challenging with the pandemic, there are now ways to join clubs and organizations virtually which is easier than commuting back and forth to campus.

Another advice I would give to CCRI students is to always trust your intuition. Most of my friends decided to attend a 4-year institution after graduating high school and I was one of the few who just applied to CCRI. Some people questioned my decision and even encouraged me to take a semester off and apply to a 4-year college instead. Instead of listening to other people’s opinions, I made the decision to attend CCRI after graduating high school and it ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Thanks to CCRI, I was able to graduate with my associate degree debt free, transfer to Rhode Island College as a junior and obtain a 30% tuition discount through the Joint Admissions Agreement, expand my network, discover my passion for helping students, build the foundation for my success and become my best self! Never feel ashamed to attend a community college because you get to explore your options, save money and meet other students from diverse backgrounds! My CCRI diploma is the one I am most proud of because it symbolizes the sacrifices I had to make to make it this far. No matter where I end up in life, I will always be a proud CCRI alumna!

We would love to hear your story, too! Email us at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured in a future edition of “Off the Cuff” or want to nominate a co-worker.

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