Isiah Cruz, Class of 2017
Residential College: Ezra Stiles College
Hometown: Union City, New Jersey
High School: Saint Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, NJ)
Why did you join MEChA? I joined MEChA because I wanted to contribute to the Yale Latino community in every way possible and MEChA is a great means of doing so. The group is one of the oldest Latino organization at Yale and I love the overall mission to engage in social justice. Our fellow hermanas and hermanos could use an extra hand.
What other activities are you involved in aside from MEChA? I am working both as a Freshman Liaison at La Casa Cultural Center and as an Oral/Written Translator at Yale Law School. As for extra-curriculars, I am on Sabrosura (Latin Dance Team), Ivy Council, Quest Scholars Network, Freshman Class Council and in the process of establishing a non-profit organization.
What is your favorite experience with MEChA? My favorite experience with MEChA was my first meeting with the group. The energy was great and we got to the heart of why I went to the meeting in the first place: how we as a group can help our surrounding Latino people. We spoke about the wage theft issue at Gourmet Heaven and other challenges that we face as Latinos. The meeting truly inspired me to fight for others to have equal opportunity and hope.