Mo Rodriguez Cruz is a College Advancement Mentor (CAM) placed at The Howard School and East Tennessee State University. As a CAM, Mo works closely with high school seniors in their transition from high school to college. He also helps 1st and 2nd year college students find balance, be on track for graduation, and above all, thrive. Born in Mexico City, raised in Chattanooga, and a proud product of public schools, Mo’s lived experiences growing up in the South as a first generation, Latinx, and low-income student have greatly shaped their passions, work, and life goals; particularly when it comes to breaking down barriers to education.
Upon graduating from Center for Creative Arts in 2016, Mo went on to graduate from The University of Chicago with a B.A. in Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies and a B.A. in Gender & Sexuality Studies. In addition to his studies, Mo has been actively involved in multiple grassroots organizing and advocacy efforts for immigration at the local, state, and national level for the past six years. These opportunities demonstrated to him the power of education beyond school, and the importance of uplifting and empowering the voices of youth and all marginalized folks. Mo’s work is driven by their commitment to social change and the idea that another world is possible. For these reasons, Mo is very excited to be at PEF and to work alongside a wonderful team of individuals to achieve the mission of transforming public education.
Outside of PEF, Mo is deeply involved with various advocacy efforts to make Chattanooga a more welcoming and inclusive city for all. In his free time, Mo loves to watch TV and movies, listen to music, talk about drag and video games, collect vinyl records, run outdoors, eat at new restaurants, and spend time with his friends and family.
