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In her role as outreach educator and exhibit preparator for the University of Northern Iowa Museum, Jess Cruz helps create public exhibits for the UNI Museum and works with students to prepare them for a career in museum studies.
And as a proud Hispanic and bisexual woman, Cruz also serves as a resource and advocate for students across campus. That s why she joined UNI s Out and Ally Network, a collective of faculty and staff, organized by UNI’s Gender and Sexuality Services office, who are LGBTQ or allies of the community.
The entire reason I have a job is because we have students. I think that every one of us who works on campus has an ability to be a resource for a student and if we feel we are able to shoulder that emotional work, we should do that, she said. I have this massive amount of privilege I pass as straight, I pass as white and I ve learned over time that the important thing is the ways I can leverage my privilege to make other [marginalized] people feel co