Pictured above: Harriet Weissman (left) and Carmen Yulín Cruz (right). Image courtesy of MHC Communications.
By Katie Goss ’23
Staff Writer
After serving as a member of the House of Representatives and mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico for a combined 12 years, Carmen Yulín Cruz was recently appointed the Harriet L. Weissman and Paul M. Weissman distinguished fellow in leadership at the Weissman Center for Leadership. She will hold the position in the Weissman Center through December 2021, though her contract could extend another year.
Cruz became affiliated with Mount Holyoke in 2018. She was invited to deliver a talk about her leadership during the crisis following Hurricane Maria, as well as the subsequent response from the Trump administration. She had spoken with Jennifer Matos, assistant professor of psychology and education, before her speech, which led to a discussion of what more they could do between the College and San Juan. Eventually, a summer camp in San Juan developed through the Weissman Center to help young girls and women advance in STEM fields.
“We developed this entire program on ensuring that not only children but young girls knew that their voices were important no matter where, in which[ever] field they wanted their voices heard,” Cruz said.
After attending the 20th anniversary of the Weissman Center in 2019, Cruz said the College asked her to consider coming to work at Mount Holyoke if she ever wanted a change of scenery and platform from her political position in San Juan. After losing the reelection, Cruz was thrilled to join the Mount Holyoke community through the Weissman Center.
“I came to not only know the Weissman Center and the opportunities it brings for discussion and, moving forward, agendas of change and raising the levels of awareness of social issues, especially pertaining to women, but I also got to see Mount Holyoke College lives the values that it espouses,” Cruz said.
Cruz already has three goals she plans to accomplish at Mount Holyoke, one of which includes holding virtual town halls with guest speakers to talk about topics that interest students. Although she will be interviewing and engaging the guests in discussion, she also emphasized that the town hall is open for all people to talk and ask questions.
“Platforms are not to be hoarded. … I think as long as I keep that perspective in mind to ensure that what I have access to I share, that would be important,” Cruz said.
She also plans to write a book and participate in an outreach program with people outside of the College who are trying to help young women and girls gain access to opportunities and have a voice on all platforms. Cruz hopes to start a “ripple effect” of conversations stemming from Mount Holyoke discussions.
“How do we use Mount Holyoke College and the Weissman Center as that place where we have those uncomfortable but necessary urgent conversations?” Cruz asked. “Use Mount Holyoke as that rock in the pond that begins the ripple effect of larger and larger waves of women [who are] fierce, unapologetic, prepared, fearless but filled with the commitment to changing things for all? I think that’s what we all strive to get out of my visit.”
Cruz feels that her time as mayor of San Juan has given her the unique experiences of governing through a pandemic, two major earthquakes, two hurricanes and a yearlong argument with former President Donald Trump over disaster relief. Along with those experiences, she also gained a different perspective of herself and what she is capable of.
“I do not pretend to know all of the answers. I never have,” Cruz said. “Having that world stage, which I accept very humbly, also gave me a perspective of what people think they can, and … cannot do well. Honest to god, you never know what you’re going to be capable of until you give it a try.”
Sticking to her principle of not wanting to “hoard” the platform stage, Cruz is excited to also learn from students and faculty.
“As long as I know that we will learn from one another, as long as I know that we will share with one another, as long as I know that there are some experiences uniquely that I have experienced, not because of me, but because of life, and keep myself really grounded, I am hopeful and quite sure that we will be able to develop a ripple effect,” Cruz said.
Cruz is excited to start down the path of academia after 12 years of holding a political office.
“I think the Weissman Center is where academia, ideas and action meet. I think Mount Holyoke College is where expectations meet motivations. It opens that world of academia,” Cruz said. “When you are in office, you are always putting out fires … and there is very little time to sit back and look at things from a different perspective and understand what you did right and what you did wrong and what you could’ve done better. [Academia] also opens up the possibility of seeing beyond, and looking at things never imagined, but now through the student body [and] the professors, my ideas will come into constant questioning.”