Santa Barbara City College Welcomes New International Student Advisor
Former student Miguel Cruz joins the International Student Support Program team at SBCC.
When you arrive in the USA at your campus, make sure you connect with all the resources available. There is often a whole team to assist with every aspect of your experience — from settling in, to accomodation, to finding your classes, and more. Please enjoy this profile of the international student advisor at Santa Barbara City College in California.
Meet Miguel Cruz
Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is happy to introduce its new international student advisor, Miguel Cruz. Miguel joined the International Student Support Program team during International Student Welcome Week for the fall semester and was immediately embraced by the new students and staff. The native Santa Barbaran graduated and transferred from SBCC in 2017, then graduated with a bachelor’s degree from California State University Channel Islands (Camarillo, CA) in 2019. He was inspired to become an international student advisor when he studied abroad with SBCC in London for a summer.
“I remember feeling so grateful that I had people who cared about me while I was away from home, and I wanted to give that back one day,” Miguel says. Lucky for SBCC, he got a chance this year when a position opened up. Miguel now gets to help international students register for classes and meet all their requirements while in the U.S.
Miguel feels that international students should come to SBCC because it is one of the most beautiful college campuses in the world. And he would know, after traveling to Mexico (Oaxaca and Mexico City), New York City, London, Paris, Barcelona, Ireland (Dublin and Belfast), and Edinburgh, Scotland. Also, as he can attest both as a former student and now as an advisor, “The staff and students are all nice and respectful. It’s hard to not feel grateful and inspired just being on this campus.”
When asked what advice he has for international students arriving for their first semester, Miguel said “Make sure you take care of your physical and mental health while being a student here. Sometimes we can get so busy with school, or even get stressed out, that we forget to take care of ourselves. Be kind to yourselves!”
When not advising students, Miguel likes reading, listening to music, playing his guitar, and enjoying eating at his favorite restaurant.
Stop by Miguel’s office when you join Santa Barbara City College next semester!