Aries Dela Cruz
Aries Dela Cruz GS ’09 graduated from Columbia with a BA in anthropology. He was a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ and GS communities at Columbia. Much like Barry Weinberg, with whom he co-founded the Advocates for the Arts Initiative, he has an intimate understanding of how the Administration actually works. He now works for a progressive politics group in New York City.
Involvement at Columbia
While at Columbia, he was primarily involved with the Spectator and the Queer Alliance. He was a member of the university-level LGBT Steering Committee, as well as on the planning committee for the first three Lavender Graduation ceremonies. He was also a member of the Judicial Committee and the Senior Fund. He chaired a taskforce to integrate GS students into the programs of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Awards
- Gold King's Crown Leadership Award
- Dean's Citation and Prize
- Spirit Award
- Multiple Service Awards.
- LGBTQ Student Leader Award from the Office of Multicultural Affairs, “acknowledging extraordinary commitment and outstanding leadership” of Columbia’s LGBTQ community
Post-Columbia
After graduating, he co-founded the Advocates for the Arts Initiative with Barry Weinberg. He is a member of GS's Recent Alumni Leadership Committee. In the real world, he's the head of Communications for Citizens Union, a progressive "good government" group.[1] Years of tangling with Columbia's administration prepared him well for dealing with New York City politics.
