Meet Campus Cutie, Damaris Ruiz!
Age: 20
Year: Junior
Major: International Relations
Her Campus: What do you like to do in your free time?
Damaris Ruiz: I love to run. Not even a cool-looking, “I’m really athletic” kind of run, but the sort of semi-jog and then flat out sprint that makes you trip and fall. Sometimes I even close my eyes. I think it’s one of the best things about being alive. My other favorite thing is music; so pairing the two is my happiest place.
HC: What is your dream job?
DR: I genuinely want to do everything. I wish I could live a hundred lives. But since I only get this one, I want to spend it being a part of humanitarian crisis relief efforts. I want to work with refugees and the displaced and engage on a diplomatic level to address problems created by war, famine, disease, natural disasters and everyday violence. I need the daily reminder that this life is not about me or my problems. It’s about using what I’ve been given for something bigger. But there are days when I genuinely think about buying a houseboat and just floating along. We’ll see what happens.
HC: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
DR: I’d love to live in Cape Town, South Africa, because everyone I’ve met from there is “Lekker.”
Artwork by Damaris Ruiz
HC: How many places have you lived?
DR: We started in Bolton: just outside of Manchester, England. We moved to Granada, in southern Spain, when I was four, and left just before my thirteenth birthday. But in between all of that, we hit a lot of places in the States for at least six months. I remember living in Chicago and Seattle, along with a few places on the east coast in Virginia and Florida. I’ve lived in Ohio ever since.
HC: If you could give anyone travel advice, what would it be?
DR: We live in a society that loves to showcase travel and make it about ourselves. I treat my camera like my child, and I love to use social media. But I think there is a temptation to make travel about us: about what we’ve done, where we’ve been, and what we’ve experienced. Travel is one of the best ways to learn about yourself, but ultimately if you seek travel as solely a self-fulfilling activity, you’ll eventually come up empty. Instead of rushing past and taking a picture of that incredible view, sit and look at it so you can describe it to your family back home. Instead of asking a passerby to take your picture, ask if you can talk to them for a moment. Those are the memories that can’t be replaced by your iPhone. Places are of limited value. People are of infinite value.
HC: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
DR: I have a friend who encourages me by saying “In everything, seek understanding,” and I’ve realized recently how profound of a thing that really is. We are a lot quicker to speak than we are to listen, and a lot faster to form opinions than to understand. I think it’s important to challenge our own perceptions, especially when it comes to other people. If we approach others with the desire to understand them, barriers are broken and some really lasting connections can be made.
Artwork by Damaris Ruiz
HC: What are some personal goals you hope to achieve while studying abroad in Geneva this spring?
DR: I’m looking forward to just being in the presence of people who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of the human condition. Through my internship, I’ll have the opportunity to network with individuals who have a deep understanding of how to provide for those affected the most by violence and terrorism. I also have a really bad track record with public transportation (I’m irrationally bad with directions) so I’m hoping to tackle that too. All good things.
Check out her website here!