Friendly working relationships take time and effort to build and maintain, which Cal Poly Humboldt Associated Students (A.S.) President Eduardo Cruz has taken the initiative to do. Cruz wants to listen to and prioritize the needs of his board members. For example, once upon a board meeting, A.S. Administrative Vice President, Celena Tello-Linares, a sophomore data science major, desperately needed a pick-me-up to get through. Cruz asked Tello-Linares what she needed and she responded with another question wondering about the possibility of food at the meeting. Soon after, agenda items came with a side of chicken katsu.
“It’s a good environment to be in, for sure,” Tello-Linares said.
On Dec. 13, 2024, A.S. board members voted in Cruz as the next A.S. president after the previous president, Wysdem Singleton, stepped down on Nov. 15, 2024. Cruz was previously the board of directors’ legislative vice president.
“I just really wanted the organization to continue and help bridge that gap between A.S. and students, because I feel like a lot of [people] think we’re administration and we aren’t, because administration has no play in Associated Students,” Cruz said. “ I just really wanted to bridge that gap and help A.S. be rebranded and have students know that we’re here for them in their time of need. And whenever they have an issue or problem, they could always come to us [to] voice their concern.”
Cruz is passionate about his work, especially when it comes to supporting the rights of undocumented students and students in the LGBTQ+ community.
“I really stand behind the undocumented and LGBTQ students, and since I feel like they’re really under attack right now with all their rights and everything, it feels really important to reinforce our support for them, and to be able to give the resources when they’re needed,” Cruz said.
Tello-Linares appreciates Cruz and his commitment to A.S. in tandem with his care and communication efforts with his team.
“I got really sick the weekend that our A.S. government budget was due,” Tello-Linares said. “I was in the hospital and I could not do anything.”
Tello-Linares said that after she was home and able to work on the budget, Cruz reached out to see if she could get it done.
“He was checking in, texting, answering any questions that I needed to get [the budget] done, and that really helped me push through a hard time. I was really grateful that he had that line of communication with me, and I felt like I could share what I was struggling with, with him.”
According to Tello-Linares, communication is a strength of Cruz’s that has gotten stronger since stepping into his current role as A.S. president.
“I feel like that’s something that he’s really been working on and has improved since being in office,” Tello-Linares said.
According to Tello-Linares, Cruz could work on something else as well.
“He works way too much, so sometimes his plate is overfilled,” Tello-Linares said. “So that’s probably something that I would say he needs to work on — delegating that out a little bit more.”
Cruz also has a good relationship with Environmental Sustainability Officer Camille Fisher, a junior environmental science and management major, who said that when she was new to A.S. in the Fall 2024 semester, while Cruz served as legislative VP, Cruz helped Fisher navigate her role on the A.S. board.
“I love working with Eduardo, just because he’s a very motivated individual, and especially in the very beginning of this year in the fall semester, when I first started working with Associated Students, I was still sort of figuring out what my role is exactly, and what to stay on top of and everything that is expected for me to do,” Fisher said. “And so adjusting to that was really good with Eduardo.”
Eduardo still looks out for Fisher, ensuring that what needs to get done will be accomplished.
“He emails me reminders just to make sure I stay on top of things, but in a very positive way,” Fisher said. “And he’s very determined, which I really respect.”
Cruz aims to listen, provide support and encourage folks to engage in conversation.
“I feel like my leadership is more like listening and seeing how I can help and being in the spaces, or if someone else on the board can better help in those situations, also involving them in the conversation, instead of just hoarding all that information to myself,” Cruz said. “Because I want to be someone who someone can come up to and talk to and have a nice conversation.”
Savana Robinson is a senior journalism major and news editor of The Lumberjack, as well as a multimedia journalist and producer at Redwood News. She loves motorcycles, cats and video games.