Frankie Cruz

Ed.M.'06

As a boy growing up in the South Bronx, NY, Frankie Cruz, Ed.M.’06, was offered a scholarship to attend a tuition-based school, an opportunity that led him to become a first generation college graduate. His academic accomplishments were, in part, made possible by the encouragement he received while in school.

“Along the way, I was provided with the support of a caring and knowledgeable ‘educational coach’ who challenged me to push myself to the limit in class and in extracurricular activities,” says Cruz. This educational coach and mentor was one of his elementary school teachers.

Cruz’s career path was greatly influenced by his own school experience. He is currently the executive director of Boston Scholars, a nonprofit program which provides scholarships and support to students from low-income backgrounds so that they may attend tuition-based schools and achieve academic success.

“My mentor helped me set and achieve goals that I once thought were out of reach. As a result, I try to give back to other students growing up in low income situations like my own,” he says.

The Boston Scholars Program currently serves 44 students in grades 9 through 12 and is accepting applications for its fifth class. All of the mentors are college graduates who offer insight into the skills, content, and discipline necessary to achieve the various goals that the scholars set for themselves. The students and mentors are paired according to shared academic and professional interests. The program is unlike others because it provides a minimum of four years of financial support and guidance to disadvantaged students.

“What sets Boston Scholars apart is that we combine accessing tuition-based schools with a slightly more direct ‘educational coaching’ style of mentoring. Young people respond to high expectations coupled with support and encouragement,” Cruz says. “We encourage our scholars to see themselves as future leaders who can make future contributions to their communities.”

While he was always interested pursuing a career focused on educational opportunity, Cruz did not always see himself working for a nonprofit. “At one point in my career, I felt passionate about lending my voice to educational opportunity and policy by running as an insurgent candidate for the New York State Assembly.” This was an experience he enjoyed, but he desired a line of work that would allow for “a more ‘holistic’ approach to providing students the encouragement and long-term supports they need to succeed.”

Before joining Boston Scholars, Cruz saw an idea become a reality when his mentor went on to build the successful Prep for Prep program. As the first Prep student, Cruz understood the dedication of staff and students necessary to see that enterprise grow and succeed.

He says he respects the ability of nonprofits to truly impact the lives of people. In his position at Boston Scholars, he has found that small organizations face a number of challenges. One is the need to balance time between programming and direct work and fundraising, he says. “The ability to identify, access, and build diverse funding sources for a Boston-based nonprofit like Boston Scholars requires a certain level of expertise.” Furthermore, it calls for long-term vision, reasonable goals, and patience – the process of reaching out and identifying diverse partners is often gradual.

Cruz says that his Ed School experience gave him the courage to pursue his passion to make a difference for deserving inner-city youth. He believes that the combination of tuition assistance and mentoring can be a unique strategy towards helping more disadvantaged youth gain admission to challenging colleges and new horizons.

“What I enjoy most about my work,” he says, “is witnessing that moment when a young person feels that sense of empowerment when a teacher, educational coach, or mentor helps them realize that their future achievements are only limited by how well they are willing to prepare and follow through for their goals.”