How CLC’s Lakeshore Campus is changing lives
A Q&A with Dean Jesus Ruiz on delivering promises to Lake County residents
For Jesus Ruiz, leading the Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan is personal. A longtime resident who moved to the city as a child, he grew up alongside the community he now serves. His passion for education, equity and transformation fuels his mission to ensure CLC delivers on its promises to the people of Lake County.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and how you got started at CLC.
I’ve served as Dean of the Lakeshore Campus for the past six years, but my connection to this community began long before that. I moved to Waukegan in the early ’90s as a 10-year-old and saw firsthand both its vibrant spirit and the challenges it faced, including the condition of the CLC campus at the time.
After starting my public service career at the Lake County health department, I quickly realized how much I wanted to help the community through education. I’m especially passionate about helping Latino and African American students reach their potential. Community colleges are where that journey often begins, and preparing students here means preparing them to succeed wherever they go next. I know this community. I know what our students need. That perspective helps me lead effectively with honesty, transparency and trust. When you work for a community like ours, and you have their back, they’ll have yours.
Q: What is a noticeable positive change you’ve seen over the past five years?
Lakeshore Campus is now part of every conversation. I sit in on meetings with the park district, the city, and the health department, and I hear time and again, “CLC is doing incredible work.” Yes, the new Student Center building is beautiful, but what’s more important is how it has changed students’ sense of self-worth.
Students now walk into a space they’re proud of. It’s a place that symbolizes how much we’re investing in their futures. That pride changes how they show up. They respect the space. They take care of it. And they feel a deeper sense of belonging.
This community has been promised change many times before. Too often, those promises have fallen through. But CLC has delivered. From the Student Center to the Urban Farm project to new academic programs, people see the results. And because we’ve followed through, they trust us. That trust is everything.
Q: What is special about how CLC has evolved to meet student needs and challenges?
One of the biggest game-changers has been tapping into equity-focused funding like the Workforce Initiative and CEJA grants. These programs allow us to support students who have historically been left behind, including the unemployed and people who’ve been incarcerated. These grants do more than cover tuition. They help pay for daily life expenses like rent, bills and emergencies so students can stay focused on learning.
We’re also breaking down language barriers. Lake County has an increasingly large Latino population, and many community members still face challenges with English. Rather than see that as a limitation, we see it as an opportunity. We launched early childhood education certificates in Spanish and are developing more offerings like it. We’ll teach you the language and the skills at the same time. That mindset is shifting our institution. At Lakeshore, where more than 70 percent of our students are Latinx, serving them in their language and culture isn’t optional. It’s essential.
We’ve also expanded wraparound supports. Our tutoring center moved into the new building, and usage jumped from seeing 17 students a week to 70. Our SHARE Market is stocked and well-used. We’re partnering with local organizations to connect students to housing, therapy and health care. Engagement outside the classroom is stronger than ever because students now trust that we’re here for the whole person, not just the transcript.
Q. What role have you played in the evolution at CLC and how do you see the change impacting student outcomes?
I see myself as the link. For years, this community has been speaking, and now the college is finally understanding the message. I serve as a voice at the table, bringing what I hear from local leaders, residents and organizations back to CLC, and making sure the college’s presence is felt in return.
Being visible at city council meetings, community boards meetings and health initiatives doesn’t just build credibility. It emphasizes that we’re not only a place of education. We’re a driver of the county’s future. I’m the dean who says “yes” often because I believe in trying new things. I’ve been given the space to fail, and with that comes growth. We take risks, we learn and we keep moving.
Q. What excites you about where CLC is heading in the future?
I’m a dreamer. I love imagining what’s possible and then helping bring it to life. That’s exactly what we’re doing at Lakeshore. We’re building something powerful, a place where students thrive, where our community feels seen and where real opportunities are created. We’re building a legacy of access, equity and transformation. And that’s the kind of dream I’ll always chase.