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Frank Cruz Highlight
You always have to keep your mind open and make sure that you are willing to listen and to try. Always be in the process of learning. Keep opening those doors.
About Frank
- I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona—my father died of meningitis before I was born, so my mother raised my brother and I as a single parent.
- After graduating from high school, I decided to join the United States Air Force and served for four years in Asia.
- After leaving the military, I moved to Los Angeles, California and began attending East Los Angeles College with the intention of becoming a dentist, but eventually switched my major to history.
- Transferred to the University of Southern California (USC), where I earned my bachelor’s degree in history and received my teaching credentials.
- I followed my passion for giving back to Mexican-American communities and got a job teaching at Lincoln High School in East Los Angeles, where the student body was predominantly Mexican-American.
- Inspired to teach my students more about Mexican immigration to the U.S., I returned to USC to earn my master’s degree in Latin American history and helped write a book on the topic.
- I became an associate professor of history at California State University, Long Beach and Sonoma State University.
- Got an opportunity to work for ABC on a Chicano news series, which led to a new career as a news reporter—I am also a founder of Telemundo, the nation’s second Spanish-language television network.
