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Dual cultures
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Since her childhood, Cilia María Ruiz-Paz has been passionate
about international activities.
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Working behind the counter at the local fast food restaurant or sacking
groceries at the Hy-Vee are jobs typically high school students get.
Cilia María Ruiz-Paz wasn’t a typical high school student and it was apparent
through a number of activities, including the type of jobs the Fairfield,
Iowa, resident was hired for.
"People have always hired me because of my language skills,"
the Colombia native says. "Even in high school."
One of the first jobs Ruiz-Paz got was as a Latin American customer service
representative for Chappell Graduation Images/Marathon Foto in Fairfield.
There she dealt with consumer issues from around the world.
Later she was employed by the Jefferson County Court House’s Auditor’s
Office as a courthouse assistant. Again she used her language skills to
assist with voter registrations.
Ruiz-Paz not only has a high proficiency in English and Spanish, but also
in French. She has also translated materials into English from both Italian
and Portuguese.
Even at Iowa State she has used her language skills to obtain internships
and positions at Principal Financial Group and Phasient Learning Technologies
of Ames.
"For my internships at Principal, I researched, interpreted and presented
information on the Latino market to company executives," she said.
"I translated, compiled, and analyzed data from a number of international
surveys."
At Phasient, Ruiz-Paz used her language skills to translate and assemble
training modules for Pioneer Hybrid.
But her languages skills are just one reason why Ruiz-Paz has been selected
as one of two recipients of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’
Student International Excellence Award. She studied abroad after high
school in Mortagne-au-Perche, France through the Rotary International
Student Exchange program.
And next fall she has been accepted into the Semester at Sea program where
she will travel to Southeast and Southwest Asia, North Africa and Europe.
While at Iowa State, she has been involved in any number of international
activities including the Organization of Latino Student and president
of both the Latino Heritage Month Committee and the Asociación de Latinoamericanos.
"The world is such a globalized community, especially now,"
Ruiz-Paz says. "We communicate world-wide and I think I’m good at
adapting between different environments.
"I like to think of myself as a mediator between two cultures. I’m
able to show people the best of each culture."
That’s something Ruiz-Paz has been doing ever since her family moved to
Iowa from Colombia.
"As a little girl I remember giving presentations in school and I
would bring in food and other examples of my heritage," she said.
Those "presentations" continue to do this whenever Ruiz-Paz
travels abroad or meets someone from a different background.
"There’s nothing I don’t like about traveling – the food, the music,
the people," she says. "To me it’s a thrill to see the world
differently. Even if I don’t know the language I love traveling.
"I especially like it when they ask me questions about my cultures."
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Cilia María Ruiz-Paz
Around LAS
March 26 to April 8, 2007
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