Angelica Ruppe MS ‘86

Angelica Ruppe MS ‘86 said it has always been her calling to be of service to others and that coming to SOU helped make that possible. “SOU gave me the opportunity to grow and to change my life and to help change the lives of other people,” she said.

Angelica is currently working with Jackson County to help vaccinate the Latino community and underserved people in the region. She is also conducting COVID-19 contact investigation and she is the liaison with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and the Oregon Health Authority to support people affected by COVID-19. It is a lot of work, but Angelica says she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“These jobs have given me the opportunity to see the struggles people have had with COVID, and how much it has hurt the Latino community. It is really important to me to get out and help in any way I can,” she said. “Equity is really important. We all deserve to have equal treatment in health care, and that is what I’m working for.” Working in the Rogue Valley has been especially heartening. “This work has made me realize what a gift this community is,” she said. “People are generous and willing to give and to help one another. It’s really beautiful.”

Angelica came to SOU as part of the Amistad student exchange program. She had already completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico when she enrolled at SOU. “An advisor in Guanajuato suggested I apply to the program to go to SOU in Ashland, and I remember asking, ‘What’s Ashland?’ because I didn’t know anything about it at the time.”

When she arrived at SOU, Angelica says that she struggled. “I didn’t speak any English. I was taking graduate classes and studying English at a small language school across the street from SOU. I would go back and forth from that school and SOU, studying and practicing,” she said. “It wasn’t easy, but I did it with God’s help.”

Angelica graduated with a master’s degree in two years. “I had such supportive teachers. They really encouraged me and made me believe I could do anything,” she said.

After graduation, Angelica landed a plum position as chief financial officer of La Clinica in Medford, where she served for 23 years before leaving for Africa on a humanitarian mission. She lived in Tanzania for two years, teaching English and helping to educate young women and girls about life skills and working with kids with disabilities.

Today, Angelica is one of the biggest champions of the Amistad program and continues to support the exchange programs and the rich relationship between the two universities and the sister cities of Ashland and Guanajuato. As a member of the Rotary Club of Ashland, she also returns to Guanajuato, Mexico, for projects to bring clean water, clothing, and gifts to rural communities.

While she still visits Guanajuato, Angelica said the Rogue Valley is her home. “I have raised my children here,” she said. “I am so proud of my kids. My daughter has finished her PhD in biochemical engineering. Can you imagine? I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, and now I have been able to watch my child graduate college with a doctoral degree. It is a dream and a blessing.”