Linda Ruiz

At CyclusBreak we create mobile apps to empower 1st-generation high school and college students. Finding analogous our personal experiences as 1st gen high school & college graduates we strongly identify with students who are on this solitary journey. Equipped, as a result of ten years as a college advisor with GEARUP, CyclusBreak’s President seamlessly aligned and solidified the expertise needed to craft a mission and vision to advocate, support, & direct students on their pathway to degree completion. Our dual roles as app designers, mentors, & former educators has marked our journey in accompanying first-year college cohorts at 4-year universities, community/junior colleges, & technical colleges where we have facilitated tens of thousands of students in overcoming obstacles relating to college access, resources, navigation & degree completion.
Our 30+ years in education, account for our interest in customizing technology to create apps that effectively facilitate all students in managing what they perceive as confounding and intimidating including admissions, financial aid, Satisfactory Academic Progress, academic status, and support in overcoming personal barriers.
My experience as an English teacher in the heart of East Los Angeles serving at-risk youth revealed that my rocky and at times vexing journey as a 1st gen Latina was by many accounts universal. With this awareness I conducted research to investigate how school climate and transformational leadership play key roles in promoting change and create engagement. I presented my findings to administrative leaders, staff, & students – as they related to student success and used the data to enhance performance, improve training, instructional practices, ethics education, & engaged participants in activities to support change & initiatives.
As the Founder of CyclusBreak I look forward to continuing developing next generation technology solutions to be used to propel P-20 initiatives!