Voted by Southern California newspapers as the most influential Latino of the Year in 2009, Dr. Raul Ruiz will make his way onto WTAMU campus on Feb. 23 to discuss the importance of dreams and defying the odds to achieve them.
“He is the type of person that we want to be a part of the Distinguished Lecture Series as it pertains to the College of Education and Social Sciences,” Dr. Dwight Vick, assistant professor of Political Science and Criminal Justice, said.
Dr. Ruiz is the son of migrant farm workers who, despite financial problems and language barriers, became the first Latino ever to receive three graduate degrees from Harvard, including a Masters in Public Policy and Masters in Public Health.
The journey from small town farm boy, who did not speak English as his first language, to medical doctor and public health expert from Harvard is what made Dr. Ruiz a prime candidate for the lecture.“It was a logical choice to choose Dr. Ruiz because he can help talk about all of these things not only from a personal perspective, but from a professional perspective as a doctor, a public health expert and as a government expert,” Vick said.
Upon agreeing to lecture at WT, Dr. Ruiz specifically requested to be allowed to talk to both college and high school students, a rare request not made by many other guest speakers brought to WT, according to Vick.
For Julia Schafer, college and career coordinator at Canadian High School, Dr. Ruiz’s request is greatly appreciated.
“We have quite a few students that do not have the support at home that most of our kids have and they’re very, very bright kids,” Schafer said. “And I just think it’s important to let them see what they can overcome and what they can accomplish outside of public school.”
Though the lecture will accommodate any student who wishes to go beyond expectations to achieve their goals, Dr. Ruiz’s influence in the medical field will allow some of his lecture to focus on students interested in healthcare as a career.
”The nursing department really liked the idea of bringing him because so many of their students will be working with persons who are migrants and the issues they are going to face when they come to the emergency room, the doctor’s office and public health clinic,” Vick said.
Dr. Ruiz’s dedication to the relief effort in Haiti also appealed to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences faculty members.
“The thing the appeals to me most is his dedication to caring for others,” Dr. Lisa Davis, associate professor of Nursing, said. “Not just the people in his community, but in the world. He’s been very active in the Haiti relief and has dedicated himself toward that.”
With all of Dr. Ruiz’s accomplishments, the lecture is projected to be more impactful quantitatively then other lectures past.
“Dr. Ruiz’s presence has been wildly received,” Vick said. “Received well beyond any of my imagination. I don’t know how big it’s going to get, I just know it’s going to be big.”
The Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice will be hosting the event at the Alumni Banquet Center from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and again that night at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum at 7:30 p.m.
