California’s Most Unlikely Philanthropist Is Starting a New Chapter
Fabiola Moreno Ruelas Is Graduating—And Sending More Students Off to College
Among the thousands of students graduating from San Diego State this weekend is one of California’s youngest and most unlikely philanthropists.
I first profiled Fabiola Moreno Ruelas, now 21, three summers ago, after meeting her in Gonzales, her small hometown in the Salinas Valley. Her story was simple—but unforgettable.
Fabiola had very few resources growing up. Her father had been deported, her family was evicted from housing, and she and her mother relied on food stamps to eat and on donations from neighbors and church for clothes and schoolbooks. She did well …
