Business Administration Undergraduate Receives Song and Lillian Woo Scholarship
Bianca De La Cruz ‘19, currently a senior at Saint Mary’s College, is majoring in Business Administration. De La Cruz has lived in Oakland since her birth. She attended high school in Alameda, graduating from Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School. De La Cruz chose the College because it reminded her of the peaceful environment of the high school she attended in Alameda. She was able to travel to Barcelona, Spain recently for study abroad. “My family is from Mexico,” said De La Cruz, “so I knew Spanish already.”
As a business and marketing major, she appreciated the most recent Dining with Alums event. “It was great to sit at the table, talking to Saint Mary’s College alumni about marketing. Right now, I know that I like marketing, and I want to explore my options in that area,” said De La Cruz. She knows marketing can be the gateway to many industries. She is currently interviewing for two internships—one in the makeup industry and the other in public transportation. She will choose an internship that works as well with her current school schedule.
In Barcelona, De La Cruz met with two alumnae when she arrived. Staying in the Gracia neighborhood, she was able to explore a new-to-her country, which she felt enlightened her. “I took public transportation to University La Salle,” she said, “The city was easily walkable. It was my first time in Europe; my first time traveling alone. At first I was in awe. The culture is open, strangers will talk to anybody. They always asked me where I was from.” Being bilingual helped her navigate the culture, though she said the native Catalan tongue threw her for a loop.
De La Cruz works with the Enactus Club as part of her extra-curricular activities. The club revolves around entrepreneurial action and bringing about good in the world. Before traveling to Barcelona, she volunteered with the Monument Crisis Center in Concord. "My team and I helped people undergoing the process of naturalization to study for the U.S. civics exam and will continue to do so in the near future," said De La Cruz.
This year, when she received the scholarship, she was grateful. “It’s going towards tuition, as I am currently paying my way through school.”
“I want my donors to know I am thankful for this opportunity,” said DeLa Cruz. “Receiving this scholarship, having people contribute to my education… I want to pay it forward someday. I want to be able to do this for someone else in the future.”
De La Cruz loves to cook in her spare time. She has considered possibly pairing her love of cooking with a marketing business in the future. In Barcelona, she was able to take cooking class, where she learned how to make paella, tortilla española and sangria. She prides herself on cooking recipes that have been passed down for generations in her family from Michoacán and Zacatecas, in Mexico.