Michael J. Ruiz

Mentor: Dr. Anthony Sorola

Michael J. Ruiz was named principal of Geneva Heights after serving as Assistant Principal at Woodrow Wilson High School where he led the Math and Science departments to two straight years of academic gains.

Mr. Ruiz joined DISD in 2008 after working in marketing for six years. During his 11 years in education, the engagement strategies and customer service skills from his time in corporate America have influenced his teaching and leadership styles.

In his nine years as a Dual-Language Teacher, Mr. Ruiz had the privilege of working with widely diverse populations of students and staff. At Hotchkiss Elementary, he served students from 17 different countries.

At William B. Travis Vanguard, Mr. Ruiz learned to personalize his instructional practices to meet the unique needs of Gifted and Talented students.

In 2016, he was honored to be named one of Dallas ISD’s District Teachers of the Year. The following year he received the Jose Marti National Teacher of the Year Scholarship at the National Association of Bilingual Education Conference.

Mr. Ruiz joined the Woodrow Wilson Wildcat Family in 2017, where he quickly planned and implemented the secondary Dual-Language program. Despite these successes, Mr. Ruiz affirms that he does not consider awards or test scores to be the crowning achievements of his teaching career, but rather the meaningful relationships he has formed with students, parents and staff.