Associate Dean of Admissions
Degree: B.A., Hampshire College
Originally from: Burrillville, RI/Rutland, VT
Email: dcruz@hampshire.edu

Reason I love working at Hampshire:
I’m a Hampshire graduate, and I really fell in love with the school during my four years as a student. I’m continually impressed by the caliber of our students, but also by our complete dedication to a different approach to college education. I would talk about Hampshire’s power to change lives even if I wasn’t an admissions counselor here; getting paid for it is just an added bonus.

Title of my Division III Project:
Bridging the Gap: the New Left, the Counterculture, and Abbie Hoffman

Piece of advice for prospects in the college search process:
It's understandable if college price is on your radar. Remember that private colleges may offer more financial aid than public schools and can be very affordable options.

Favorite books:
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson; The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood; and The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Favorite TV Shows:
Veronica Mars; Gilmore Girls; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Bunheads.

Favorite places to visit:
Rhode Island (to visit my family and lounge by my grandmother's pool), Acadia National Park, Palm Springs.

Favorite way to procrastinate:
Reading a lot--I read over 100 books a year.

Favorite places to spend time in the Pioneer Valley:
GoBerry Frozen Yogurt, our many libraries, Amanouz in Northampton.

The one thing I want to accomplish in the next several years:
I really want to live in Rachel, Nevada, for a few months and write a book about the people who visit there. Rachel has a population of 98 people, and is located right next to Area 51. Lots of people who think the government is involved in a massive cover-up of alien life visit Rachel, and I am interested in why they hold these beliefs. I think it would make an awesome book.

A surprising fact about me:
My taste in music seems to surprise people. Two of my favorite bands are Slayer and Metallica (and I've seen them both in concert).