Q: Why did you choose to run for Mr. Hispanic OU 2021?
Yahir Ruiz: I chose to run because of what I could do with the title. I saw the potential that came with being an ambassador for my community and how I could give back to the community that raised me.
Q: What was your inspiration behind your platform, “Paso Adelante: Viejos Puentes Nuevos Caminos,” and what do you hope to accomplish?
Yahir Ruiz: I derived this platform from my experience in high school. I recall how difficult it was to find scholarships that were obtainable and currently active. I would go through various websites and social media posts, and only find a handful of scholarships I could apply to. The execution of my platform will be through an interactive website. The website will contain available scholarships for the academic year filtered by metrics such as year, merit-based, leadership, and more. This will be a resource for low-income, high school students from historically marginalized communities.
