KINGSVILLE, Texas. As a young teenager, Monika Ruiz made a life-altering decision.
The village she’d grown up in—San Fernando, in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico—was being destroyed by the elements of drug wars— killings, violence, and corruption.
“I couldn’t even go into my backyard,” says Ruiz, who is a sophomore at Presbyterian-affiliated Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. “I came home from school every day wondering if I’d make it, or get kidnapped.”
As a young teenager, Monika Ruiz made a life-altering decision. The village she’d grown up in, San Fernando in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, was being destroyed by drug wars that included killings, violence and corruption.
Monika Ruiz’s vocational aspirations paint a portrait of holistic Christian commitment. This college sophomore wants to serve as a nurse in international mission, but her dreams for the future don’t stop with taking care of physical needs. Monika would like to tend spiritual needs through pastoral ministry in a developing country. She is concerned about justice for neglected people and communities around the world, and she envisions starting an advocacy organization that works on their behalf.
