From Church Pews to College Views
- Jennifer Ward
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Evan Cash Rosen
Beatriz Martin-Ruiz can teach, play the harp, and is a natural storyteller at heart. Pointing to a small unicorn stuffed animal wearing a Purchase jersey on her bookshelf, she explains how it was a gift from a former admissions counselor who used to call her a unicorn.
When gifted the plush, Martin-Ruiz remembers her coworker saying, “It’s enough you’re from a different country. But you play the harp and traveled all over Europe with your harp.” Martin-Ruiz responded to her, “I know, I’m a pretty unusual person.”
Martin-Ruiz’s enthusiasm for the harp goes all the way back to her early years in Europe as a child. Her parents had a summer house in Spain, and nearby was a large Gothic church on the top of a mountain that could be seen from miles away. It wasn’t until a specific Sunday visit to the church that Martin-Ruiz found her true passion.
She says, “I was in church, and I was really bored because I’m a kid. I was looking around and I see a fresco of an angel playing the harp, and I thought, well, that would be cool. I bet you I could totally do that. Can I play the harp?”
Currently, one of Martin-Ruiz’s roles at Purchase is serving as a harp teacher at the Conservatory of Music. Katherine O’Connor, a sophomore studio production major and one of Martin-Ruiz’s students, says, “I think she’s inspiring in the way that you want to talk more about yourself positively because she talks about her own self in such a positive light. I feel like everything she has to say is so motivational and after a harp lesson, it just feels like a breath of fresh air.”
Martin-Ruiz's positivity is felt across the Purchase community. Staff Coordinator Elizabeth Bourmatnov says, “Two Halloweens ago she spearheaded an admissions costume campaign…we all got dressed up as witches.”
Martin-Ruiz takes pride in her role as associate director of admissions. She finds fulfillment in being able to talk to students face-to-face, something that was difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recalling a recent Accepted Student Day, she says, “I had a lot of meaningful conversations with students; you carve out those moments where people come to you with a question. I really appreciate the opportunity to see the face and look at somebody in the eyes.”
As of this year, Martin-Ruiz has taken the lead with Purchase’s Leveraging Impactful Strategies and Transforming Outcomes for Student Success (LISTO), which aims to ensure every Hispanic-identifying Purchase student feels welcome when they arrive on campus. Martin-Ruiz says, “I think that a lot of people in our society think that when we speak with an accent or when we speak Spanish better than we do English, it’s because we are uneducated and not smart. There’s a lot of misconceptions out there.”
Sarai Celaya-Cruz, a Purchase graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, is Purchase’s first bilingual admissions advisor. When considering Purchase, Celaya-Cruz said that Martin-Ruiz played an important role in the decision process.
Celaya-Cruz says, “She never made me feel like I was different. She reassured me that everything was going to be fine … and overall, she made me feel comfortable about my situation; that is just very unlikely to find in a lot of admissions offices across many schools.”
Martin-Ruiz was Victoria Lococo’s direct supervisor when she began working as a Purchase admissions advisor. Lococo says, “Instead of saying you did something wrong and it’s all your fault, [Martin-Ruiz] would say you did something wrong but here is how we fix it, so it doesn’t happen again; here’s a learning opportunity for you.”
Martin-Ruiz has a natural ability to make those around her feel at ease, creating a sense of knowing her on a personal level. O’Connor values her harp lessons with Martin-Ruiz because of the shared bond between them. O’Connor says, “She’s very relatable to me because I feel like we’re very alike. And even if you don’t have things in common with her, she still has a way of connecting with you.”
Every student matters to Martin-Ruiz, and she treats all students with equal respect regardless of their situation. Bourmatnov says, “Nobody is a number with her [Martin-Ruiz], they’re each an individual person with their own needs and she is there to help.”
Martin-Ruiz hopes all students realize their stories are important and need to be heard. She says, “Don’t let people silence you. Don’t not share your story because you’re uncomfortable about the way you sound or your language skills.”