MAGNET GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT
Anthony Ruiz
Hyde Park '05
Desert Pines '09

What is your name?

Anthony J. Ruiz

What CCSD Magnet School(s) did you attend and what year did you graduate?

Hyde Park Middle School

Desert Pines High School class of 2009

What college/university did/do you attend?

Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon

What is your current occupation?

Communications Manager for the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance 

(LVGEA)

What was your favorite thing about attending a Magnet School?

Looking back, CCSD magnet programs afforded me something of great value as a teenager: choice. At Hyde Park, electives were baked into the Academy.  At the high school level, I was able to choose my path and study computer programming, video production, or both.

What’s your proudest achievement since graduating from High School?

I feel that in many ways I am just getting started professionally. If I had to pick, I would go with actually finishing college on time. I am a first-generation college student and really struggled freshman year, even considering dropping out at one point. Thankfully, I was able to surround myself with the right mentors to get me back on track.

How did attending a Magnet School help prepare you for college and/or your current profession?

For me, having targeted areas of focus let me know what I did not want to do. Turns out, I’d make for a pretty lousy computer programmer. Of course, I learned some useful things from the experience, but eliminating programming as an option allowed me to explore new areas for development. Luckily, I was able to pivot towards the humanities rather than basing my college choice around a subject that I wouldn’t be happy doing long-term.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how could you use it?

Atmokinesis. Partly because it’s the name of a superpower you have to Google to know what it means, and partly because I’m not a big fan of the cold weather.

What teacher inspired you most? How?

My fifth grade elementary school teacher, Silvia Loomis. She recommended me for the Hyde Park Middle School Magnet program and had a dedication to her students that I can only describe as remarkable. I remember a stretch near the end of the school year when she came down with a bad case of Laryngitis and could barely talk. She might have missed a day or two, but then decided to return after the substitute teacher got a bad report from the students. So she showed up with a portable PA system so she could whisper instructions to the class.

What advice do you have for students today?

To be patient with themselves. Students today are under tremendous pressure to succeed, and yes, to attend a four-year university or college. I’m the first to admit my personal preference for a good liberal arts degree, but I do not think it's for everyone. I think more students should allow themselves to explore vocational programs and take advantage of community colleges, despite what they believe their friends are doing.