One of Pacific’s greatest assets is its people. Over the past three years, I have been lucky to have met so many incredible individuals through Pacific, whether that’s faculty, alumni, students or community members. It was one of the reasons I decided to move across the Pacific Ocean for college.
I am a third-year marketing major from Honolulu. I knew that I wanted to study business, and I wanted a career that would be creative and fun. So, I chose marketing. This proved to be one of my best decisions, as it connected me with Professor Cecilia Ruvalcaba. Professor Ruvalcaba was my Introduction to Marketing Management professor. What exactly is marketing? And what can I do with a marketing degree? She helped me answer these questions and more.
Professor Ruvalcaba’s cheerful spirit and welcoming smile was exactly what my sophomore-self needed at 8 a.m. Despite how early my Tuesday and Thursday mornings were, I looked forward to her interactive lectures and inspiring daily quotes. I knew our discussions would be lively, and I was eager to learn more. Luckily, I had her again for Consumer Behavior and International Marketing.
Professor Ruvalcaba has all the qualities of a student’s favorite teacher. She is fun, passionate, fair and genuinely cares about her students in and out of the classroom. With a full mug of coffee in hand, she will ask us about our extracurricular activities with interest and excitement. She gives us opportunities in class to promote our athletic games or club events occurring that week. Professor Ruvalcaba will even go out of her way to attend them. With how invested she is in her students’ lives; it is no surprise that she considers her greatest accomplishment as a professor seeing her students on graduation day.
Professor Ruvalcaba connected me with alumni and wrote me a letter of recommendation for graduate school. She is someone who I can look up to for mentorship and depend on for support. Whether it is questions related to marketing or just reassurance that everyone’s career paths are different, and I will be OK, I know I can turn to Professor Ruvalcaba.
Here are some quick facts and favorites of Professor Ruvalcaba:
- Born and raised in LA and received her PhD from UC Irvine!
- Loves Stockton’s diverse food scene, but if she had to choose a favorite: Tepa Taqueria.
- Avid coffee-drinker who drinks a lot of Trail Coffee (the owner is a Pacific-alum!)
- Enjoys running and has completed two marathons!
- Loves the psychology behind marketing and how the field is constantly changing and evolving.
Professor Ruvalcaba is just one of the many amazing professors who call Pacific home. Watch the video at the top of this story to learn more about Professor Ruvalcaba and how she has impacted my experience at Pacific.
