Investor Interviews: Mirella Cruz
Partnership. Creativity. This quarter for our Spring 2022 Investor Update, we sat down with a group of five esteemed Ujima Fund Investors. Mirella Cruz is a Union Capital Boston member, and Ujima Fund investor.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m a Puerto Rican mom with two children, and I work as a general microbiologist in one of the area hospitals. I really like community, and joined UCB to be a part of the community I live in and participate in things happening in the community. I have very strong feelings about all that’s happening with gentrification and people within my community who have businesses.
I learned about UCB as a parent, and I had participated in one of their partner programs called Families First. It’s mainly a parenting workshop, and through them I learned more about the organization. Then I started doing some projects in my kids’ school and reached out to Eric, who asked about whether I was interested in joining UCB.
I love getting to know other people that are very active in the community, hearing people’s concerns and coming up with solutions to them. You really get to know people from different social groups. I love uniting people from different walks of life to support one great cause.
Why did you decide to use your UCB rewards to invest in the Ujima Fund?
I loved the mission that Ujima has, and wanted to participate even if in a small way. Investing allows me to build more resources into communities that need more voices. I also really liked the idea of being able to plant a seed that can grow in our communities. So I thought, why not!
What is your personal vision for a more connected and engaged Boston?
I would like to be able to see more of these big systemic disparities addressed more, in a way that allows people to feel empowered in their communities. I have no idea how this would work, but I hope that through everyone’s input we’ll get there.
How do you define wealth building?
Building wealth is an investment, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be a financial one. You can also invest time or other resources, and to create organizations, like UCB, that really support the community. ◼︎
