CSUSB student to be honored at 7th annual 30 under 30 event

As a disabled, Indigenous person in the LGBTQ+ community, kinesiology major Julia Josephine Ruiz (Mescalero Apache) strives to create equity for others like herself so the next generation may thrive academically and professionally.

Because of the effort she puts into Cal State San Bernardino and her community, Ruiz will be honored by Assemblymember Eloise Gomez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) at the 7th annual 30 Under 30 Awards Ceremony Nov. 27.

The event honors 30 individuals under the age of 30 who exemplify dedication, innovation and service in the community, and live, volunteer or work in the 50th Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Colton, Fontana, Loma Linda, Redlands, Rialto, San Bernardino, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga and the unincorporated community of Bloomington. The 30 Under 30 program was established by former Assemblymember Wilmer Amina Carter, a CSUSB alumna and retired CSUSB staff member.

Ruiz, who is the executive vice president for Associated Students Incorporated, is an exceptional individual who serves as a catalytic force for enacting positive transformations within the Latinx and Native American/Indigenous communities within the medical domain.

Holding the esteemed position of inaugural Native chairperson of the CSUSB Santos Manuel Student Union and Recreation & Wellness’s Board of Directors, she is instrumental in driving sustainable developmental initiatives that nurture inclusivity and wellness.

Her influential leadership expands to encompass her role on the President’s Youth Council for the California Endowment, where collaborative efforts are directed toward enhancing accessible health care provisions for historically underserved demographics across the state.

Noteworthy contributions are evident through her dedicated volunteer engagements at esteemed medical establishments, such as Riverside Community Hospital and San Antonio Regional Hospital. In these capacities, she effectively enhances health care encounters for individuals belonging to the Latinx and Native American/Indigenous communities.

Armed with a distinguished academic pursuit in kinesiology-exercise science, supplemented by a minor in diversity and social justice, Ruiz possesses the intellectual acumen to conceive and implement innovative and impartial health care solutions.

Her multifaceted involvement stands as a testament to an unwavering dedication toward ameliorating health care disparities and fostering the proliferation of just medical resources for populations that have historically faced marginalization.