Mayra Perez Ruiz - Regis University Video Testimonials

Speaker: Mayra Perez Ruiz '22, Fulbright Award recipient

Mayra Perez Ruiz '22: Hi, my name is Maya Perez Ruiz. I graduated class of 2022 majored in political economics and minored in politics and Spanish and I am a recipient of the Fulbright Award.

Mayra Perez Ruiz '22: What inspired me to go for the Fulbright Award and apply was the next stepping stone in my life. I wanted to see where I could go after graduating.

Mayra Perez Ruiz '22: To me being the first recipient of this award is a great honor. It's very meaningful, especially being a first generation student. I think it's a great accomplishment just a year out from graduating and I'm excited to see what else I can do.

Mayra Perez Ruiz '22: Professionally. I want to see where this opportunity can lead me to. I'm planning on doing international studies in politics. Career wise I want to be a Foreign Affairs officer one day. So living abroad is just one step in all the little things I have to complete before achieving that dream.

Mayra Perez Ruiz '22: My professors were actually my greatest support and encouragement for going for this award. I know it was tricky to apply and a big impact was Dr. Fretz. He was my biggest supporter. He helped kind of guide me through the process, give me advice for how I should do things, what I'm, what I'm looking to do, like how to approach everything. Um A big thank you to Dr. Mahapatro, Dr. Zuckerman, Dr. Koenigsberg, Dr. Medina, Sally in the faculty office, a lot of the faculty supported me from the HIPPE department and I think it's the biggest impact in applying.

Mayra Perez Ruiz '22: Quite frankly, I have no idea what I'm going to do after Spain. There is a very real possibility that I stay there or find somewhere else to go through the program itself. What I do know is that I want to continue working towards an international career in the foreign service and see what steps I need to take to get me there. So far the plan might be to find a job and move out of my parents' house. But for now, I think there's a lot of opportunity.