Meet the Team
TRIO - Administration
Dr. Maria Elena Cruz
TRIO(SSS & McNair) | Program Director
Senior Lecturer for Chicana Chicano Studies
Email: maria.cruz@sjsu.edu
Dr. Cruz serves as the Director and Principal Investigator of the ASPIRE (Student Support Services) and McNair Scholars TRIO Programs, where she has dedicated her career to empowering first-generation college students. A proud descendant of the Huichol (Wixáritari) Indigenous people of Mexico, Dr. Cruz’s journey as a first-generation graduate informs her deeply held belief that education is a form of social justice. In addition to her administrative leadership, she is a Senior Lecturer in the Chicana/o Studies Department at San Jose State University. She holds a B.A. in English from U.C. Berkeley, where she was a McNair Scholar, and earned both her Master’s and Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her loved ones.
TRIO(SSS) - Advising
Schedule an Appointment [Current TRIO(SSS) Students Only]: Check our TRIO Student Website for Calendly links to schedule an appointment.
Angelica Tran
TRIO(SSS) | Assistant Director / Academic Advisor
Email: angelica.ochoa@sjsu.edu
Angelica is a first-generation college graduate, born and raised in the Bay Area. She graduated from San José State University with a B.A. in Justice Studies and an M.A. in Counselor Education. She has been a part of the TRIO family as both a student participant and as professional staff for over 15 years and understands first hand the impact and importance of TRIO programs. She loves working with students and helping them achieve their academic goals and beyond.
Anthony Stoker
TRIO(SSS) | Academic Advisor
Email: anthony.stoker@sjsu.edu
Anthony is a TRIO alumni who got his start working as a student assistant with the TRIO ASPIRE & EXCEL programs at Chabot College. Seeing how the advisors were able to make such a difference in their student’s academic journey was a huge inspiration for him to eventually pursue a career in counseling. With the help of the program, he was able to transfer to UC Berkeley earning his BA in Music, and then later on to SJSU to earn his Master's in Counseling and Guidance. TRIO is the community that he came up in, and he is very excited to have the opportunity to give back in a meaningful way.
Maria Fernanda (Marifer) Ruiz
TRIO(SSS) | Academic Advisor
Email: mariafernanda.ruiz@sjsu.edu
Maria Fernanda (Marifer) Ruiz is a first-generation student from Hayward, CA. She received her B.A. from UCSB in 2021 and M.A.in Counseling and Guidance Program from SJSU in 2023. She personally knows the struggles of being a first-gen student navigating a four-year institution and wants to make sure that other first-generation students feel supported in their educational journey. She hoped to continue supporting students in their educational journey in the future. She is the new Academic Advisor for TRIO (SSS).
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