“The Potential of Caring and Mentorship”

Ruth Hafoka

Filipino | Woodbury, MN | she/her/hers | Private Sector

In the late 1970’s, my mom and I, and two older siblings immigrated to Brooklyn, New York. My father had already been in the states for three years. It took that long for us to finally receive our visas to join him. I have wonderful memories of those early years in Brooklyn, because we had family there to help us assimilate to a new country.

As is common with many immigrant families, my family and I moved around a lot so that my dad could find steady work. Somewhere along the way, we ended up in the Midwest. While we had very little in terms of money or possessions, we had a roof over our heads and food on the table, so we were grateful for that. In high school, tragedy struck our family when my father died unexpectedly. I was 15 and had two older brothers ages 16 and 17, and a 5-year-old younger sister. My mother raised us alone, so we had to grow up very quickly.

The process for getting into college and paying for it is complex and difficult, particularly for immigrant families. We didn’t have the financial means or an understanding of the college entry process. There were few resources to guide our family through it, so after high school I did the only thing I knew – I got a full-time job.  

I entered corporate America, and was fortunate to be mentored and supported by caring leaders. They saw potential in me, and strongly advised that I get a degree. They helped me leverage resources like tuition reimbursement programs to pay for school. They shared that education would open doors and opportunities if I wanted to advance my career. Today, I have the privilege of serving as the Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.

I made it through college and graduated from Concordia University in Saint Paul. What got me through college was taking it one day, one class, and one assignment at a time. I realized that focusing on graduation was overwhelming, especially with four kids and a husband. Looking back, that experience was powerful. Getting through the challenges made me into the kind of person I am today. I feel incredibly blessed and grateful to the many leaders and mentors I’ve had in my career. They provided support, guidance, and encouragement, and played significant roles in helping me accomplish my educational and professional goals.

#MinneAsianStories Series