My name is Euclides Cruz; I am from Brazil, My home is in the state of Sao Paulo, in the city of Votuporanga. I came from a very poor family with very limited means but with great structure, principals and morals, this is something i am really proud of. My mother's name is Judith Cruz, a very hard working woman. She alone raised five children. My father died when I was 4 years old from an aneurism and my mother never remarried again as my father was the love of her life. I lived in Brazil until I was 27 years old. Growing up in Brazil was not easy, because our financial situation was not so good and carried many challenges; my older sister left school to go work as a seamstress in order to help provide for our family and my mother worked in the fields picking cotton. I did have a lot of fun as a child, although times were tough I made really good friends that will live in my heart forever.
I was a Hip Hop Dancer for over eight years in Brazil, dance was my life at that time, also I do love samba dance as it is mainstream part of my culture. It was very exciting to be on stage and perform; I do miss the excitement and the good feelings before a performance. Also I had the opportunity to perform on a popular TV show in Brazil. My team name was "Albatroz Street Dance", for years we competed with others dance teams around the State. Albatroz Street Dance was considered the best Hip Hop Team of the State of Sao Paulo for a very long time.
I do have a two year degree of Veterinary Assistance from a technical college in Brazil , and that was one of the blessings that brought me to the United States. I do love living on a farm, I enjoy the nature and the quietness of the rural camp. When I get older and have retired, I do wish to live on a farm or somewhere close to the ocean.
I served a two year mission for the LDS Church in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. That was by far two of the most incredible years of my life up to that point. I will never forget the good people I met, and all the knowledge and responsibilities I acquired. I am a believer of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I try to live my life applying his teaching in every way i can. I have faith that life can be better if we try to do right and I find comfort believing in someone superior, something bigger than us.
I came to the United States in August 2005 to participate in a farmer's program with the objective of gaining more knowledge of my degree and of course study English. I arrived in New Orleans just two weeks before hurricane Katrina hit. That was one of the scariest experiences I have ever been through. I hope I don't have to live through that again, i truly thought I would die, and many did. After hurricane Katrina hit I stayed in Louisiana with my boss's family for 3 weeks helping clean and organize what was left of his farm because everything around was a disaster. My boss was desperate because the loss was so great and he was unable to continue to operate and make money with his farm. The situation was devastating to his business, his family and the future of his farm. I left Louisiana after three weeks as he was unable to pay me so I went to live with one of my missionary Companion's Parents in Alabama.
I lived in the state of Alabama for one year until I met the love of my life, my wife Tiffany Cruz. We met on line on a LDS site. We talked on the phone and on the net for 3 months nonstop, no exaggeration, 24 hours a day. After 3 months of really great and intense conversation i decided to move to Salt Lake City and meet the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. I got myself on a bus, and I traveled for 3 days to come to Salt Lake. When I got here bingo... we had immediate chemistry! After 1 week we decided to go to Vegas and elope. I know crazy right? But we did it. It has been almost 6 years we have been happily married, we have had our bumps in the road, but with love and patience we solve everything. On November 6th 2010 we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity.
Through many years of intense study I was able to pass the Army ASVAB test and join to the United States Army so that I could better provide for my family, also i take incredible pride in serving this country and it has been a dream of mine since I was very young. English is not my first language and I do struggle a lot with it, Everything I know I taught myself. I never took ESL classes so it has been a challenge, now not as much as I did in the beginning, but I try to improve my language skills as much as I can every day. I am always open to try new things and I do like to take advantage of the opportunities that live has to offer.
School is very important to me, I've been trying to finish my Associates in Science for 3 years, it has been challenging balancing my home life, a full time job in the Army and other things but I refuse to give up. My major is Physical Therapy; I love the idea of being able to make a difference in someone's quality of life.
Also I have been given the greatest gift possible sent from heaven. After many years of trying we were blessed with our beautiful daughter Jade Cruz; she is just 16 months of age and so much fun. She is the light of my life and one of the reasons I push so hard to achieve success in this life. I am very grateful for the life and opportunities I have in this country, I am so grateful for my wife and all the support she has given to me through the years.
Thank you for taking the time to view my information and work. I hope this gives you a good idea of who I am and what my goals and aspirations are. I am very excited to welcome you all to be a part of this new chapter of my life. Here you will find pictures of my wife and child as well as my extended family here in the United States. You will also see a few pictures of my mother, brothers, and sister and their families back in my wonderful home country Brazil, as I am very in touch with my family roots and incorporate them into my daily life with my wife and my incredible smart little angel, my daughter Jade. You will also find most importantly some of my immediate and continually growing works of writing and other things that will help you learn more about me as a person and my efforts into the professional world, and also my scholastic goals and achievements. This will include my current and growing resume, and also my work in the Military as I am a U.S. Soldier in the Utah Army National Guard. I hope you enjoy your visit as you browse my e portfolio. I am excited to grow and continue learning all I can, I feel I am on a promising path to success and I hope you are fulfilled as you take a look inside of my world and work.
Thank you,
Euclides Cruz
