51动漫

Because she鈥檚 inspired by her community to break down barriers.

In just a few years,聽Loymi Peralta Cruz,聽FOX 鈥�22,聽went from not speaking the English language to receiving a business degree and starting a career in tech. Since graduation, she鈥檚 committed to helping members of the Latinx community follow in her footsteps. 聽

Setting in Motion

In 2014, Peralta Cruz聽moved with her family from Puerto Plata, a small city in the Dominican Republic, to Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, a suburb outside of Philadelphia. She was 18 and didn鈥檛 know a word of English鈥攂ut she was determined to make a name for herself.聽聽

After starting English classes at Montgomery County Community College, she learned the college has a transfer partnership with 51动漫鈥檚 Fox School of Business and set her sights on attending.聽鈥淚 come from a family that owns businesses, my father owns corner stores in the Philadelphia area,鈥� Cruz said. 鈥淪o, understanding how business works has always been a big part of my day-to-day life growing up.鈥澛�

Peralta Cruz earned her associates degree and transferred聽to 51动漫 in 2019 as a commuting student. Though the transition was 鈥渙verwhelming,鈥� she quickly connected with professors and student organizations that helped her find her footing.聽

Firing on All Cylinders

Classes like聽Business Communication听补苍诲听Risk Management聽exposed her to different sides of business education, and networking and professional workshops strengthened her confidence and business acumen. She joined 51动漫鈥檚 chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals For America (ALPFA), which had a positive impact on her career readiness as well.聽In just two years,聽she graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 degree.聽

鈥淪omething that really stood out for me at Fox is that the faculty understands that students might be working, and there is a lot of flexibility within the class schedule,鈥� Cruz said. 鈥淭hat was really helpful for me because I was always working!鈥澛�

One of Cruz鈥檚 revelations at Fox was understanding that harnessing a variety of technology can help businesses run more efficiently. She鈥檚 been able to apply that knowledge at her first job as a technology architect analyst at Accenture, an IT firm in Philadelphia. She鈥檚 part of a team that delivers technology innovation to clients, like transferring large amounts of physical data to the cloud. She enjoys the work and the perspective it provides on just how connected businesses are to the functions of society.聽

Giving Back

She鈥檚 also deeply involved with the Philadelphia ALPFA chapter聽and counts its president, Elvita Qui帽ones, a former advisor at Fox, as one of her most supportive mentors. Cruz is now part of the executive board and says that it is important for her to give back by helping younger women, Latinx people and others from underrepresented communities make connections in the business world.聽

鈥淚f I can help one person, one younger Loymi, get through what I went through, I鈥檓 happy,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 just want to be able to help others to achieve what I have achieved.鈥澛�

Building a Vibrant Educational Community

At 51动漫, we celebrate the diversity of our students, staff and faculty members and acknowledge that this is our strength that propels us forward. Our educational model supports a holistic approach to stimulating social change and fostering inclusion within our campus, our community and our city.聽