Why Everyday Idealists chose James Cruz
James Nicolas Cruz represents an over-all Atenean SOM student. Being among the top of his batch in the John Gokongwei School of Management, and winning various debate competitions inside and outside the Ateneo, are only some of the many achievements that James was able to reap from his hard work and motivation. His excellence as a debater and as a student made EI decide to probe into what inspires this prodigy.Involvement
James arrived as a casual fellow for the interview, but EI was sure that this guy had a lot of things to share. When asked to introduce himself and explain what keeps him busy, James simply started, “I’m involved with the Ateneo Debate Society. I debate competitively.” It’s been a normal experience for James to miss some of his classes from time to time, as he represents the university in different competitions all over the country. However, he clarifies that for now, he’s a taking a break in the debating field, as he has been pursuing more and various efforts. “I’m involved in the advocacy of debate education. So currently, I’m the director of debate education I’ve also involved myself in.”Debate, Education and Management—all rolled in one.
What amazed EI during the interview was how James clearly laid out the path for us. While most JGSOM students concern themselves with earning profits and building strong and wide networks, James does not lose grip of his Atenean values through an advocacy he stands up for.“I’ve realized that even if I’m involved in education, it’s still really so difficult to empower students, if once they go out to society, the opportunities aren’t there for them.” Thus, James explained that his way of contributing to this ideology is by involving himself in helping various communities doing their businesses. He’s currently involved in a consultancy project, where he is guiding the communities in starting up in micro finance programs. Part of this project is by teaching them accounting, and by creating an accounting system for them such that it would be easier to attain financing.
Aside from this, James is also currently holding a project which helps non-profit organizations in training government leaders and private leaders by equipping them marketing knowledge and skills. He believes that this tool can help these organizations come up with more holistic graduates, such that when they go out into society, they can have a chance to improve other people’s lives as well.
What drives James Cruz
Like most college students, James admitted that at first, he was unsure of what he entered himself into. Alongside management, there were also a lot of things he wanted to try out. Being a scholar in the university, James understands how education plays a key role in making a difference in people’s lives.
“As a Management student, I really start thinking, 'What can I do?' so at first I was trying to help by involving myself in organizations that were helping people, but then I realized, I really wasn’t able to see what I was doing in Management.” James disclosed to EI, that based solely on his academic pursuits, he still felt that what he was learning wasn’t enough, if it would go back directly to the people.
For James, part of what motivated him to pursue his advocacy of education and management would be the opportunities presented to him by the JGSOM, such as the professors he met, the ethical issues he studied, and even the products he developed, which all point to the social-orientedness that the department has always been pushing for. However, these efforts have all, in his own words, “been crystallized”. According to James, the School of Management has always been criticized, citing the Occupy Job Fair incident last school year as an example. “Things like that, the way the really think that the School of Management is profit oriented and that it seems to be marginalized in the role of nation building, so I thought my personal response to it is I had to do something to show people.”
Empowering People through Business Education
James believes that education is important, but as a management major, he believes that there are even more things he can support, to be able to inspire other people. With his assertiveness as a debater, intelligence as a student, and confidence as a management honors major, he leaves EI with this statement:“We’re actually empowered the most to try to help people through what you know and that’s why I’m embarking on, not just these charitable organizations and institutions, but trying to integrate my business education into making people’s lives better.”
