Dave Cruz (he/him/they/siya) is a proud first-generation UC Davis alumnus and ImmiGrad from the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga in the Philippines.

He began his academic journey in the US at the Peralta Community College District (Peralta CCD) in Fall 2014 and earned four associate degrees including Political Science and Spanish. He also actively served in various leadership positions & committees from the districtwide to statewide levels in order to amplify the voices of underrepresented and underserved (student) communities in higher education as Student Trustee for the Peralta CCD and as System Affairs Director for the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC).

As a UC Davis undergraduate, Dave continued to be active in the community. In the Fil-Am community, he was a member, mentor and a dance director. Beyond the Fil-Am, he worked at the Student Recruitment and Retention Center (SRRC) as a Student Director for Collective: Transfer & Non-Traditional Student Empowerment and Secretary for its governing board. In Fall 2019, just three months before the world started a lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations (Peace and Security emphasis) and a minor in Human Rights. In Winter 2022, he came back to Davis as a professional staff where he worked in the Office of Educational Opportunity and Enrichment Services, the Redwood SEED Scholars Program, Office of Enrollment Management, and the SRRC prior to joining the Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center team as Basic Needs Coordinator.

He is passionate about student recruitment and retention work with a primary focus on supporting transfer, non-traditional, first-generation, historically marginalized and underrepresented communities while they pursue their goals in community colleges and four-year universities through relevant programming and advising. Dave speaks Tagalog (Filipino), Kapampangan (Filipino), and Intermediate Spanish. Outside of work, he loves to cook -- especially Filipinx food! He also enjoys singing & sometimes dancing and has an extensive collection of K-Pop merchandise as a multi-fan of groups such as Twice, NCT, Seventeen, TO1, Zerobaseone, Kep1er and more!