Nikol Orciari

CRUZ

5/4/2015

Profile Story

As she walks into her closet to add another journals to her collection, July Cruz looks proudly at the big pile of notebooks she has been writing and storing since she was a child.

Her passion for writing started at a very young age and has become a daily routine for her. As today, Cruz has over 50 journals store in her closet, which she has kept for many years.

I am very passionate about writing. I love writing to the point that when I start writing, I dont stop I just keep going, Cruz says. I like to write about anything, but I mostly write about my emotions or situations that have impacted my life.

Cruz is currently a junior at Fresno State majoring in mass communications with an emphasis in broadcasting, and is preparing to start her internship as a media writer for KFSR, the radio station at Fresno State.

When I was asked what I wanted to do for the radio, I was honest and I told the recruiter I was not interested in radio but in writing, she says. Once I showed the recruiter some of my writing work, she was amazed and I got the internship where I will be writing for the radios website and social media sites.

The story behind writing

Cruz started writing at a very young age due to the harsh situations she had to go through as a child.

My dad came to the United States in 1990 and was going to visit my mom back and ford for about four years, Cruz says. When I was about three months old, in December 1994, my mother came to the United States from Mexico and crossed the border with me in her arms.

For the next five years, Cruz parents went to Mexico illegally a several number of times and left her with her grandmother in the United States. This is the moment when she started writing.

I remember during that time I would scribble all over notebooks and I would tell my grandmother, look, grandma, this is what I think my mother looks like, Cruz says.

Before settling down in Fresno, Cruz and her family moved around a lot and it was very hard for her to adjust to a new towns and schools. Due to this, other kids bullied her.

My mother tried going to the school and complain about my bullying problem, but they wouldnt pay attention to her because she didnt speak English, Cruz says. It was then when I started to write about my emotions to avoid getting depressed, and my mom would encourage me to do so.

Since then, Cruz hasnt stopped writing and has saved every single notebook she was written in her closet. She says she does not go back and read her journals, because she does not want to remember about all the events and struggles she has gone through.

Future plans

At her current age of 20, Cruz says she does not plan on basing her career on writing. Her dream job is being a television news reporter.

Writing is something I do more as a hobby. News reporting is my dream and even though it does include some writing, it is not much, she says.

Besides being a television news reporter, Cruz also wants to write a book in the future. She says she is most likely going to write about her life experiences, which is going to include a lot of topics about immigration.

I know immigration will be a big part of my book, because it has been a big part of my life, she says. I hope by writing about this I can raise awareness regarding immigration, because there is a lot of judgment and prejudice towards immigrants and it is not right.

Vang Yang has known Cruz for several years, since they worked together at Little Caesars. She has shared her passion for writing with him and thinks she will do great as a news reporter and her book.

I have read some of Julys work and the pieces are great, Vang says. She is a hard worker and dedicated individual. She will make it on whatever she does in life, specially in writing.

Cruz is hoping to complete more internships and learn more about writing and broadcasting during this next two years before she graduates Spring 2017.

Contact Information:

July Cruz (559) 417-2520

Vang Yang (559) 304-2878