Thanks to the advice of a Guilford College friend, Yairin Urias Cruz ’26 has learned “to get comfortable being uncomfortable” during her first year of college. The Public Health major from Burlington, N.C., has involved herself in the community through other-centric clubs and has a work-study job as an Admission Student Ambassador.
A recipient of the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation and Eugene Thompson scholarships, Yairin says she was drawn to Guilford for its proximity to her home, the Public Health program and the small class sizes.
“At most, I wanted 20 students in the class,” she says. “Guilford offered that, so once I learned a little bit more about Guilford, it just instantly clicked for me. After my first on-campus tour, I just completely fell in love with it.”
Well at Guilford
Yairin says she chose the Public Health major because of a longtime desire to help people.
“I was inspired to look into public health because health and wellbeing is such a critical aspect of people’s lives and a great way to help them,” she adds.
Soon Yairin discovered that there were many avenues in which to take a career in public health. Although she doesn’t have specific career plans at this early stage, she is interested in the business side of the sector and has added a Business minor with a Spanish track.
Despite being bilingual in Spanish and English, Yairin found the Spanish courses challenging because of the different dialect being taught. She credits her previous advisor LaKeisha Williams for helping her get through this.
“I was super stressed,” Yairin says. “There are many different types of Spanish in the world, and I was taught a different kind, but LaKeisha encouraged me to push through and was available if I needed help.”
In the Clubs
Yairin is active in a variety of campus organizations, including Hispanos Unidos de Guilford (HUG).
“This is a club for Hispanic students, but anyone can join. I enjoy seeing more of my culture, and I’m very excited to see the Hispanic graduation in May that will be Spanish only. I’ve never seen a graduation before and to have it in Spanish only is very special.”
Yairin is also involved in the Campus Activity Board (CAB), which helps organize events, as well as Every Campus a Refuge (ECAR). ECAR is a group that helps refugees assimilate into the United States by providing tutoring and other assistance in getting settled.
As a first-year student, Yairin had some advice for making Guilford home as well.
“Even if it gets hard or stressful, keep going and follow your dreams,” she says. “Grades don't define a person, but your actions do.”