April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.

Father keeps promise to grandmother


By PAUL QUIRINI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Adam Cruz-Lopez left his home in Mexico when he was just 12, but he promised the grandmother who was raising him that he would earn a college degree someday.

Now a Latham resident, Mr. Cruz-Lopez kept his promise by earning a bachelor's degree in marketing and management from Siena College in Loudonville last month.

His achievement is even more impressive, considering he is a father of three and works full-time.

Watched over

Even though his grandmother died before he began working toward his degree, Mr. Cruz-Lopez felt close to her on his graduation day.

"I felt that my grandmother was there and was watching over me," he said. "It was pretty emotional, and it was one more obstacle that I've overcome in life. It was a great accomplishment."

Born in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1968, Adam was raised by his grandmother because his mother had died while giving birth. His father eventually remarried, but physical and emotional abuse by his stepmother and father made childhood difficult. He attended boarding school, taking academic courses by day and learning trades by night.

While in seventh grade, Adam started working in carpentry, buying his grandmother an iron with the first paycheck he earned.

Moving on

He was doing well in school, but the idea of earning money at such a young age enticed him, so he moved with a friend to Puebla City, where he worked as a painter and welder. There, Adam returned to school at night; but after a year-and-a-half, he couldn't afford tuition.

"It was tough to leave school, but I always knew that I would finish," he said. "I didn't want to hurt my grandmother, because she guided me all the time. I never gave up the idea of going back to school."

In 1986, Adam came with his cousin to the United States to live with an uncle in Santa Cruz, California, and earn money so he could resume his schooling and return to Mexico. He worked in construction and went to school at night so he could learn English, while also completing his GED.

After one year, Adam moved to Albany and worked at Garcia's and International House of Pancakes. He also met Ellen Clark, and the two married in 1989.

Promise kept

To keep his promise, Mr. Cruz-Lopez eventually enrolled in evening courses at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy while working in construction. He majored in business administration and earned 66 credits, which he transferred to Siena in 1997.

In addition to working full-time and taking three courses per semester at Siena, Mr. Cruz-Lopez had three young children, which made earning his degree even more challenging.

Most of Siena's part-time students take one or two courses per semester, according to Suzanne Allegretti, director of the Center for Continuing and Professional Education, which helps part-time students work toward business degrees.

"Time is always the biggest issue, even more than the finances, for a lot of these people," she said. "They're more concerned about getting through as quickly as possible, and we offer courses that are accelerated so they can go through in half the time. We try to adapt programs and services, and make it as easy as possible for them."

For Mr. Cruz-Lopez, that meant working during the day and leaving work in time for his classes, but his boss and co-workers understood. His wife also works, teaching at Lansingburgh High School, so their three children have been going to St. Augustine's School in Troy for afterschool care.

Plugging away

Camille Girardi, Mr. Cruz-Lopez's advisor at Siena, admires him for his perseverance in working toward his bachelor's degree.

"He was able to keep plugging away at a program that was large," she said. "He came here with a substantial number of credits, but he still had quite a few to complete, and he really worked very hard at getting to that goal."

Family and friends joined Mr. Cruz-Lopez for his graduation ceremony, and he was so proud to have kept his childhood promise to his grandmother.

"It has been a challenge, but I saw it through -- and now my goal is my MBA," he said.

More dreams

First, the new college graduate wants to spend more time with his three children -- Roberto, Jesus and Julio. He's putting his degree to work at an advertising firm and wants to start his own business exporting gifts to and from Mexico. He also dreams of becoming a writer.

Mrs. Allegretti was happy to see Mr. Cruz-Lopez earn his degree, especially because he kept the promise he made to his grandmother.

"That's really what kept him going," she said, "because it's pretty hard raising three small children, working full-time and taking one class, let alone two or three, and being successful at completing a degree. We really want to highlight people like him who beat high odds and have that personal drive. It makes it all worthwhile to have a student like Adam succeed. To be able to be part of his journey is really an honor for us."

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