Rooted In Heritage, Chasing Gold: Gia Cruz Carries Her Family’s Legacy To Team USA

For U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball National Team member Gia Cruz, her Mexican American heritage has been woven into her identity since long before she fully understood what it meant.

Her family’s roots run deep in South Texas. Her mother is from Corpus Christi; her father is from San Antonio. Generations of her family have lived in the region, including ancestors who were in Texas when it was still part of Mexico. Cruz describes her heritage as Tejano — a Mexican American culture shaped by generations of life in South Texas.

Growing up in San Antonio, that identity was not something she had to think about. It was simply part of everyday life.

“It just seems like everything that I did that is a part of my cultural heritage is normal,” she said.

It was in the food her family ate, the music they listened to, and, perhaps most importantly, the way they worked and cared for one another.

Cruz grew up in a multigenerational household with her parents, sister, grandparents and great-grandparents. Her father is a Tejano musician, as was her grandfather, and music remains one of the ways she stays connected to home. Even while training and competing overseas, Cruz keeps a piece of home with her by listening to the music of her father.

“It just helps me remain centered,” she said. “It’s just something that I’ve always done.”

That connection to family and culture has remained a constant as Cruz has pursued an increasingly ambitious life — one that has taken her from San Antonio to Oklahoma and, now, onto the international stage with the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball National Team.

At 23, Cruz is pursuing Paralympic gold while earning a master’s degree in school and professional counseling. She hopes to become a school counselor and eventually a licensed professional counselor, creating the kind of safe and inclusive environment she believes every young person deserves.

Cruz's understanding of belonging has been shaped not only by her culture, but also by her experiences as an athlete.

She began playing indoor standing volleyball in 2014. In 2017, disability changed her ability to compete. Following three surgeries, she experienced a loss of mobility and strength in her left ankle and lower leg.

For a teenager whose life had revolved around volleyball, the change was devastating.

“When I was in high school, when all of my disability things happened, that really felt like my world was crashing down,” she said. “Like I wasn't going to be able to play volleyball anymore.”

Then, in 2019, only months after her third surgery, Cruz discovered sitting volleyball.

The sport gave her a way back onto the court, but it also introduced her to something she had not realized she needed: community.

For the first time, Cruz was surrounded by athletes who understood experiences she had once believed made her different. She saw people with different disabilities, different backgrounds, and different stories competing at the highest levels of Paralympic sport.

“Having this other space that I could see it was going to be okay, and people who looked like me have succeeded at the highest levels in Paralympic sport, was really crucial,” Cruz said.

That experience changed how she sees people — and eventually influenced the counselor she hopes to become.

“Every Para athlete has a story,” Cruz said. “Some of my teammates had cancer. Some of them have congenital disabilities. Some of them were in traumatic accidents. And I think all of that has really helped open my eyes to see past the person and see all of the things that make them who they are.”

Cruz's own cultural story has also given her a deeper understanding of what it means to feel seen.

At 17, she moved from San Antonio to Oklahoma to train with the national team while finishing high school. Leaving a predominantly Hispanic community for a predominantly white one was a major adjustment.

Teammate Nikki Nieves, a Puerto Rican athlete, became an important source of connection.

“She’s been there since the beginning,” Cruz said. “Having somebody else who understands a little bit was really impactful at that age.”

The experience reinforced Cruz's belief that young people should never feel they have to leave parts of themselves behind to fit into a new environment.

“Being who they are in their cultural identities and taking that wherever they go with confidence is what I’d want them to see,” she said.

That mission is particularly meaningful given her own family history. Cruz does not speak Spanish, despite both of her parents knowing the language. Her grandfather told her he was punished for speaking Spanish in school.

His experience has stayed with her.

It is part of why Cruz wants her future counseling office to be a place where students feel comfortable bringing their whole selves — their culture, their experiences and whatever challenges they may be facing.

“I hope they feel peace,” she said. “No matter what the student may be going through, they can come to me and feel safe. That they can share openly whatever is going on and not feel judged.”

Cruz's path to counseling began with a childhood love of playing teacher. After earning her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Oklahoma, she discovered school counseling — a career that combined her interest in education and psychology with her desire to help others.

Now, Team USA is helping her pursue that future while she continues competing.

As a 2026 recipient of the Team USA Tuition Grant, Cruz received support toward her graduate education while continuing to train and compete. The program, supported in part by the generosity of Team USA fans through the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, awards more than $800,000 annually to Team USA athletes pursuing education and career preparation.

For Cruz, the grant removed a financial barrier that had made graduate school feel uncertain.

“I remember thinking, I don't know how I'm going to do this because it's all very expensive,” she said.

After finding her program at the University of Central Oklahoma and receiving the grant, her financial picture changed.

“I actually don’t have to pay anything out of pocket,” Cruz said.

“It’s helped me to continue while also being an athlete without the weight of financial pressure,” she said. “I’m able to play freer.”

That freedom allows Cruz to pursue both of the futures she wants.

“I don’t just have to be an athlete, and I don’t just have to be career focused,” she said. “I am going to be able to have both.”

And for Cruz, both paths are ultimately about creating opportunities — for herself and for the people who come after her.

As the first and only Mexican American athlete on the U.S. Women’s Sitting Volleyball National Team, Cruz understands the significance of seeing someone who shares your background reach the highest levels of sport.

For girls in San Antonio, including her younger cousins who play volleyball, that visibility matters. Cruz wants them to see that they can pursue the highest levels of their sport while staying connected to who they are and where they come from.

That message is bigger than volleyball.

Cruz is showing that her Mexican American heritage is not something she has to set aside in order to succeed. It is part of what grounds her, motivates her, and shapes the future she wants to build.

She carries the music of her father and grandfather. The stories of generations who came before her. The lessons of growing up surrounded by family. And the responsibility she feels to make the path a little easier for those who follow.

“I want to make everybody that came before me proud,” Cruz said.

For Cruz, that means chasing gold medals, earning her degree and becoming the counselor she hopes young people can trust. But it also means representing where she comes from — and showing the next generation that they can carry their culture with them wherever they go, without limiting how far they can reach.