Yancy Cruz, Ph.D.

Faculty

Yancy Cruz, Ph.D.

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (Rehabilitation Counselor
Training and Administration)

Assistant Professor

Education

M.B.A. Universidad Ana G Mendez
B.B.A. Universidad de Puerto Rico

Contact

Biography

Yancy Cruz is an only daughter and was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was raised and lived between the beautiful landscapes of Bayamón, Corozal and Humacao. She and her husband, Hector, have a beautiful daughter, Laia, and a very special yorkie dog named Bori. They reside in Southern Illinois, in Carbondale.

Dr. Cruz holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón campus, two masters degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Puerto Rico (Rio Piedras campus), a master’s degree in Human Resources from the Universidad Ana G. Méndez in PR, and a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counseling and Administration from Southern Illinois University. Dr. Cruz is a Licensed Clinical Professional
Counselor in Illinois, a Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor in Puerto Rico, and a national Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Dr. Cruz has also finalized a Post Doctoral degree in the Stress and Trauma Center, Inc..

Dr. Cruz has experience working with people with developmental abilities and mental health issues. She also works with veterans, immigrants, people suffering from traumatic experiences, and people with chronic illnesses throughout their life spans. Some of the organizations she is a member of are: the National Rehabilitation Association, the National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC), the American Counseling Association, and the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC).

In her free time Dr. Cruz volunteers with her family in providing bilingual religious education at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Carbondale, Illinois. Before moving to Southern Illinois, she was a Parish council member at Sagrados Corazones Parish, where she had the blessing to be a communion minister with her husband and she was a founding member of Catholic Daughters of America, Chapter #2772. Dr. Cruz, with her family, has supported her father
in-law in deacon formation and the ordination process in the Fajardo-Humacao Diocese in Puerto Rico for the last 18 years, where he is still in active service.

Dr. Cruz’s professional training and personal experiences promote and embrace the importance of praying to overcome every life challenge and to find, through our profession, a way to identify our mission in life.