Senior Profile: H. Gustavo Ruiz Llopiz ’14

The Rockefeller Center encourages its outgoing seniors to reflect on their experiences at Dartmouth as part of a series called Rocky and Me.

Photo by Thanh V. Nguyen

"My participation with Rocky programs started my sophomore year, when I attended a workshop on project management. I was starting a new student organization and felt that I needed personal skills and professional tools to manage it. That workshop was not only useful in my management of the organization, but also shaped my leadership style in and out of the classroom." --H. Gustavo Ruiz Llopiz ’14

I chose to attend Dartmouth because of the reputation of the Government department and the social sciences in general. My participation with Rocky programs started my sophomore year, when I attended a student workshop on project management. I was starting a new student organization and felt that I needed personal skills and professional tools to manage it. That workshop was not only useful in my management of the organization, but also shaped my leadership style in and out of the classroom. The second Rocky program I was involved with was the funding for unpaid internships through funding from the Public Affairs and Public Policy Internships program. Rocky helped me complete an internship in Senator Gillibrand’s Office in Washington, DC. My experience on Capitol Hill was very rewarding and has informed my professional ambitions greatly. After interning with Senator Gillibrand, I was selected as a Rockefeller Leadership Fellow (RLF) during my senior year. RLF exposed me to a variety of campus leaders as well as figures in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. The self-reflective nature of the program was unique and has made me aware of my own leadership style and strengths. Lastly, Rocky and the Center for Professional Development, in partnership with Landmark Ventures, will be sponsoring my attendance at the Social Innovation Summit at the United Nations later this month. As an aspiring social entrepreneur, this opportunity is unique and will allow me to meet the leaders in corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, technology and the non-profit world. I am very grateful for the Rockefeller Center, for their people, and for the resources they have invested in me. Thank you, Rocky!

H. Gustavo Ruiz Llopiz ’14 is from Mexico City, Mexico. He is a Government major and an Education minor. During his time at Dartmouth, Gustavo completed internships at the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Senate, and worked as a Junior Research Scholar in Dartmouth’s Government Department. This year, Gustavo was a Rockefeller Leadership Fellow, served as Dartmouth’s Student Body Chief of Staff, and Vice Chair of the Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault. He is pursuing opportunities in corporate social responsibility and law.