A young Zapotec man has gotten a scholarship to attend Harvard University, an achievement that fosters pride among the people in his community, more widely in Oaxaca state, and among Mexicans in general. According to a news report on May 24, the 23-year-old scholar, Ramiro González Cruz, is from San Isidro El Costoche, in the municipality of San Francisco Logueche, in Oaxaca.

As a child, Ramiro helped his father by working in the fields, caring for animals, and doing other chores that he could fit in with his school work. When he was 16, he moved to Oaxaca City to attend high school at the College of Scientific and Technological Studies of the State of Oaxaca (CECyTEO) where he graduated in 2016.

He wanted to go on to a university but he lacked the money needed so he took time off from schooling to work in the fields of Sinaloa. It was hard work but after a year he had saved enough to return to Oaxaca and resume his studies. He attended the Technological University of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca where he graduated with two different undergraduate degrees in business.

As he begins his graduate work at Harvard, he is phenomenally busy. He serves as an intercultural promoter and interpreter for the Oaxaca Public Defender’s Office and as a member of the International Youth Network of Latin America. At Harvard, he is a fellow in the Crossroads Program for Emerging Leaders 2021. He is one of five people from Mexico who qualified for that program.

He is taking his Harvard classes online due to the pandemic. His goal is to support young entrepreneurs in their efforts to come up with images and brand recognition for the products they have developed.

This report and other recent articles about the young activist reflect the pride many Mexicans feel toward the Zapotec man and his many accomplishments.