FOREST GROVE, Ore. – The Rotary Club of Forest Grove is proud to welcome back Araceli Cruz as a member. Araceli was inducted into the club during its December 16, 2020 Zoom meeting.

Araceli is employed as the associate director of financial aid at Linfield University in McMinnville. She is a higher education professional who specializes in equity, diversity and inclusion, and is a financial aid and scholarship expert and public speaker.

Prior to her work at Linfield, Araceli oversaw the Adelante Chicas program that is administered by Adelante Mujeres. In that role, Araceli was a member of the Rotary Club of Forest Grove.

In February 2020, Araceli was honored with a Distinguished Service Award from the Oregon Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators in honor of her efforts to advance equity, diversity and inclusion. She chairs the OASFAA’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee and has served on the board of the Portland Leadership Foundation, the Oregon College Access Network and the Northwest Association of Student Affairs Professionals.

Araceli sees as her life’s purpose is to serve, empower, and assist underprivileged students who are oppressed and underrepresented in higher education. Working specifically in financial aid has allowed Araceli to empower students of all ages and backgrounds through speaking, education, and counseling. She understands that financial aid is a crucial component for a student to have a successful college career. As a first-generation student herself, she understands that students and families in our community need the appropriate tools to re-affirm their identity, backgrounds, and self-worth; She wants to help them achieve that through higher education.

Araceli earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and Spanish from Linfield in 2009 and went on to earn a master’s degree in student affairs administration from Lewis & Clark.

In her spare time, Araceli enjoys supporting students and making higher education accessible. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with family.