Brian P. Ruiz

         I was born in Austin, Texas on December 27, 1975. My parents were also born and raised in Central Texas as were their parents before them. Both of my parents grew up with very little means which led them to appreciate hard work and education. My father grew up in public housing projects and my mother was raised in a family of ten while living in a tiny house and having to sleep on the floor.
         Family and education were of great importance to my parents’ families and going to college was an even greater hardship. My father and mother beat the odds and achieved degrees at St. Edward’s University in Austin. My father earned a degree in Public Administration and my mother taught 28 years in the Austin public schools.
         Family, community, and world issues were passionate concerns of my parents. They met at a campaign office and by the time I was five years old, my father was running for his first political office. I have many childhood memories of going to school during the day, then working and sleeping in a campaign office at night.
         My political aspirations began in 1988 when I attended the Democratic Presidential Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, where my parents were elected delegates. Six years later I became one of the youngest state delegates to the 1994 Texas Democratic State Convention in Dallas, Texas. From this point on, I worked on several other political campaigns, including Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s first congressional campaign in 1994. 

         After high school I took a trip to Uganda, Africa, where I lived for several months, soon after the unforgettable genocide in neighboring Rwanda. This became my first exposure to viewing the United States from a foreign perspective. In Africa, I heard and saw the accomplishments and criticisms others had about our United States.
         When I returned from Africa I began working full-time and soon became very successful in sales. At the end of 1995 and beginning of 1996 I worked on another of one of my father’s campaigns. It was then, in my twenties, when I realized that no matter how financially successful I became I still wanted a college degree. I left the sales industry and found a job more flexible with my school schedule as a radio producer for Clear Channel Radio.
         During my time at St. Edward's University, I met my future wife, Rebecca. Two years later, we were married and our journey as parents began as we became licensed foster parents. We adopted our daughter, Hannah, in May 2006, and three months later our son, Christian, was born. In the midst of all of this I received my Communications degree in August 2006. Life with a family came quickly and I began to be more aware of the affects of legislation and policies on families, especially in the areas of health, education and war.
         Today I look into my children’s eyes and wonder what type of world they will grow up in. I could sit back and focus on my family and hope everything else gets better on its own. Then, I remember my childhood and what I was taught, ”one person may not be able to change the world but one person can begin to bring people together and when people come together anything is possible”. I want to help bring change to our world that will make our neighborhoods, our country and our world a better place for our children, today and in the future.