Fellow:Fiorella "Elle" Ruiz
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Bio
Fiorella "Elle" Ruiz is a University Innovation Fellows candidate for Wake Technical Community College's 2025 cohort. At her institution in Raleigh, North Carolina, she has completed an Associate in Science and is pursuing her Associate in Arts. Her academics focus on technology and sociology with the objective of innovating human-centered experiences through design and engagement.
Growing up as a military child, Elle spent her life moving to new cities in countries like South Korea, the U.S., and Germany. This lifestyle made it difficult to grow strong roots, connections, or accomplish her goals due to places changing and people leaving. Regardless, she had the opportunity to immerse herself in various cultures and see the world from different perspectives. These aspects of her life now motivate her to make the most out of each experience and play a role in helping others do the same.
At Wake Tech, she is highly involved on campus and has grown a passion for using a people-first mindset to leave a genuine impact wherever she can. Currently, she is the college's peer leader program assistant, serves as a senate chair for the student government association, and is one of their collegiate DECA chapter's executive officers. Aside from her extracurriculars, her passions lie in the culmination of technology and creativity. She is apart of an internship aimed at researching STEM innovators in the Raleigh area, and has pursued a variety of other projects that have revolved around the concept of meaningful and relevant experiences. This ranges from initiatives to enhance student life and engagement on campus, researching the feasibility of updated interfaces for the college, and conceptualizing the ethical dilemmas and obligations of user experience.
After her journey at the community college level, Elle intends to pursue a bachelor's degree in information science and sociology before studying human-computer interaction or a similar discipline at the graduate level. Professionally, she aspires to be a user experience designer.
Achievements
Torch Award, Wake Technical Community College (2025)
Social media profiles
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/fiorellaruiz
Related links