Student Spotlight: Ruby Saenz

A Pleasant Surprise During a Visit to Notre Dame

Ruby Saenz received an invitation to attend Spring Visitation Weekend March 21-25 at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind.

The Top 10 student at Los Fresnos High School did not hesitate to accept a visit to the prestigious campus, especially because all expenses for the four-night, three-day stay would be paid.

“I had not been accepted when I made the visit,” Ruby said. “I wasn’t sure yet that I wanted to go there.”
She joined about 100 other minority students who had applied for Notre Dame and expected to get all the necessary information about the school.

But what she did not expect was some surprising good news.

“They told us there the first night that we were accepted,” she said. “I was so excited.”

But Ruby also realized that tuition and fees would cost $57,000 a year, and was hopeful that some of the scholarships she had applied for would come through. She attended a financial aid session with other students, and was pulled out of the room. She wondered if she had done something wrong.

“They told me that I would be receiving enough scholarship money to cover everything. I could not believe it. I was so excited that I wanted to cry.”

She immediately called her parents, Elvia and Reyes Saenz. “My mom was more excited than I was.”

Notre Dame was always an option, but more like a dream. Ruby had already been accepted to Texas private schools St. Edward’s University, St. Mary’s University and Trinity University. She also applied to New York schools St. John’s University, Barnard College and New York University.

“I always wanted to go to a bigger school away from home,” Ruby said. “But I knew that if I would not get enough scholarship money, I would be debt with these other schools. I did not want to graduate from college and be in debt.”

At Notre Dame, some of her scholarships are contingent upon keeping a high grade-point average. But she is determined to succeed at Notre Dame.

“I have an idea about majors I am interested in, but the good thing about freshmen at Notre Dame, is that you don’t have to declare a major,” Ruby said. “So I will have some time to make a decision. “I am thinking about International Relations, Business, English, Communication, or Marketing.”

She is not afraid of traveling. She has been to Spain with student groups since her junior year. “I traded Cotillion and things like that for exploring the world.”

An uncle lives in South Bend, and that gives her mother peace of mind.

My uncle lives in South Bend. I have a lot of cousins who have gone away for college. “Her brother lives about five minutes from campus, so that helped a lot. I am on only child, but my parents said that if I wanted to go there, they would support my decision.”

Serving as Vice President of the LFHS Health Occupations Society of America (HOSA) for two years “has helped me a lot with leadership skills. I’m not afraid of many things. HOSA helped me break out of my shell.”
Ruby has maintained her focus on academics throughout her years at LFHS, so that she would have opportunities like attending Notre Dame.

“I am an only child, and my parents were happy even if I didn’t have the best grades,” Ruby said. They told me that whatever I do, do it for yourself. So I decided to be a good student, and make them proud of me. They had one child, so they might as well have a good one.”