Domenica Cruz Talks Community and Career Growth

I meet Domenica Cruz at Lola’s during the First Tuesdays networking event hosted by Up Next Charlie West. She’s a recent graduate from the University of Charleston, where she earned a degree in digital media design with minors in marketing and communications.

Domenica tells me she’s just started an internship with the Charleston Area Alliance. It’s only her second day, and her first real experience outside the paperwork phase. She’s already been invited to events like this one and says she’s excited to meet people and learn more about the community.

Domenica says she originally came to Charleston because UC offered her a track scholarship. That was the only reason at first, but she stayed because she liked the people. She says she’s been here four years but only recently started getting involved with the local scene. She wants to pursue a career in public relations and sees this internship and events like this as a great starting point. Her goal is to stay in Charleston, get her master’s degree, improve her English, and keep building relationships.

I ask her what West Virginians might not realize is different about themselves. She says people here are unusually welcoming, especially to internationals, and that’s something she hasn’t found in bigger cities like Miami. She says that kind of warmth makes a real difference and hopes people here recognize how special that is.