Eddie Ruiz graduated from Winter Park High School in 1996. He received his Associates in Arts Honors degree from Valencia Community College in 1999, his Bachelor of Science degree in Science Education from the University of Central Florida in 2001, and his Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix in 2005. Eddie began his career teaching at Timber Creek High School as a science teacher. He taught for three years before becoming a dean and was named as a finalist for Orange County’s Teacher of the Year in 2006. Mr. Ruiz served as an Assistant Principal at University High School and Evans High School for a total of four years. Mr. Eddie Ruiz became principal of Acceleration Academy, and had the opportunity to establish a school for at-risk overage students.

Today, Mr. Ruiz is principal of Jackson Middle School. This is a bit of a homecoming for him as he attended Jackson as a several years back. Eddie Ruiz is a role model, mentor, and motivator. His passion is to make sure that students have EVERY opportunity to succeed in life, if the students do not believe in themselves; he reminds them YES they can.

Mr. Ruiz comes from a background that is similar to many of the students that he strives to motivate. As a child, Mr. Ruiz grew up in with a single parent (mother) never knowing who is father was. In his youth, he was raised with drugs, violence, and poverty. Yet, through all the struggles he maintained a willful attitude of determination. One of the biggest challenges that overcame his life was when he knew in high school that his mother and newborn baby sister were HIV positive. His mother passed away in 1996, and shortly after his sister of three years also passed. His life reflects the words of Walter Elliott, “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another”.