National Leadership Program, Fall 2018
Jaylynn Cruz
Jaylynn Cruz was a Nonprofit Management Fellow in RespectAbility’s National Leadership Program. RespectAbility is a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for and with people with disabilities. Cruz is from Gibraltar and has earned her Education and Special Inclusive Needs bachelor’s degree with honors from Liverpool John Moores University in Liverpool. She recently has completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Primary Education, with a speciality in Special Educational Needs.
Cruz’s interests stem from observing a lack of awareness and opportunities within society for people with disabilities and therefore is interested and engaged in the disability rights movement. She aims to ensure equality of opportunity rooted in mutual respect for children with disabilities and she will promote these values through her future teaching career. Before RespectAbility, Cruz had led summer camps for children with disabilities that allow children to partake in numerous activities such as music, art and sport. She also has worked at numerous mainstream and special education schools as a primary school teacher.
At RespectAbility, Cruz is immersed in an environment that actively advocates to fight stigmas and advance opportunities for individuals with disabilities. She wants to further her research skills in fundraising and help RespectAbility with its mission.
In her free time, Cruz likes to eat good Chinese and Spanish food and listen to a variety of music genres. She is a huge fan of Grey’s Anatomy and takes the time to indulge in yoga and meditation.
