Melissa Ruiz ’25 Elected to Middlesex College Board of Trustees

Each year, members of the Middlesex College graduating class recommend and vote on a graduating student to serve a one-year term to the Board of Trustees for the upcoming academic year. The student representative to the Middlesex College Board of Trustees is expected to participate in one Board meeting and one Board Committee meeting per month and attend several College functions during the year.

“Melissa Ruiz brings an empathy and earnestness needed in the nursing profession to be a voice for her peers,” said President Mark McCormick. “This perspective, one rooted in service and advocacy for others, is vital to furthering the mission of the Board. I am looking forward to working alongside her in this new role.”

In the Middlesex College Nursing Program Ruiz learned compassion, attention to detail and how to advocate for her patients. These are all skills she hopes to utilize as a member of the Middlesex College Board of Trustees.

“As much as I love to talk, this position gives me a chance to listen,” said Ruiz, a Perth Amboy native. “I can listen in on the things that are happening on campus and give the students a voice and explain to the Board what students are thinking and worried about. I know I can be that person.”

Ruiz graduated from Perth Amboy High School in 2020, during the dawn of COVID-19, with a desire to give back. She enrolled in a medical assistant school, but wanted more. Middlesex College checked all the boxes in what she was looking for and she was accepted into the nursing program in 2023. Ruiz found the work both challenging and rewarding.

“I will vouch for the program to anyone,” Ruiz said. “There are a lot of ways I could describe it. It was definitely a whirlwind. It takes almost all of your time and attention, but in the end, it was so fulfilling. The things I would see and the interactions I had, every time I went into the clinical setting, I was always learning something new.”

Ruiz was on the Dean’s List at Middlesex College with a 3.85 GPA. She performed weekly rotations at Hackensack Meridian Health and worked for the Community Health Project for the Alpha Delta Nu Honor Society, for which she served as secretary. She also worked as a nurse at a youth camp in New Brunswick.

After graduating, Ruiz is taking some time off to spend with her family and study for her NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) to become a registered nurse.

“I want to accomplish as much as I can,” Ruiz said. “I want to get to know more people on campus and experience the campus life Middlesex College has to offer. I want to be more involved. That was a big reason why I wanted to be on the Board of Trustees. It’s such an important position and I will take it seriously and make sure people are heard.”