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Jesús Ruvalcaba

Distinguished Alumnus in the Arts

Hartnell College is proud to honor Jesús Ruvalcaba as this year’s Distinguished Alumnus in the Arts. “I feel honored to be recognized at the Gala for the Arts, especially as an alumnus of Hartnell College,” he said. “This recognition is very meaningful to me because it shows that you really can make a career in the arts, not only as a passion, but also as a successful business.”

Growing up in Castroville, Ruvalcaba saw his parents work hard in the fields. No one in his family had a college education, and for him and his three sisters, it was a foreign concept. But he was curious and artistically endowed from an early age. All he could think about was drawing day in and day out, and thus, schoolwork was often forgotten. But it was his art that would later lead him to get national attention.

“When I was a senior at North Monterey High School, my peers were applying to universities and I felt an itch to also apply, but I knew I was not the traditional student and my grades were just not there,” Ruvalcaba said.

It was his counselor who recommended that he attend Hartnell College. His journey towards expression through the arts began in graphic design, cartoon animation, and drawing. “One of the classes I took was Introduction to Computers – it was something new and exciting for me,” he said. “I was amazed at what you could do with Photoshop and other applications.”

For him, as for many others, Professor Jerri Namiro was of great inspiration and motivation. “I give a lot of credit to her for caring so much for me,” he said. “She really wanted us to succeed.” Namiro encouraged Jesús to complete his AA in Multimedia and to transfer to CSU Monterey Bay for his B.S. in Communication Design. With this found courage, desire to continue on, and the dream to one day teach at the university level, he earned a master’s degree in Art Direction from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

During a visit to the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose with his wife, he came across a vendor selling posters with popular Mexican sayings. “Jokingly, I said ‘those would make great greeting cards!’” That was the start of an idea that turned out to be Paper Tacos – greeting cards with sayings like ‘Sapo verde tu you,’ a playful way to say ‘Happy birthday to you.’ He then knew that fun and funny, culturally relevant Spanglish greeting cards could be a hit.

He worked in Silicon Valley and locally with big companies like Discount School Supply, eBay, and Hewlett Packard, eventually rising to Art Director. But working full-time and managing a new business was difficult. In 2023, Jesús and his wife, Rocio, decided to give Paper Tacos their full attention.

That decision paid off. The popular show Shark Tank invited Jesús to pitch his product to gain support from one of the investors (sharks). It was Mark Cuban who signed up to help Paper Tacos get to the next level.

“I hope my journey can serve as a testament to the possibilities with the arts, and maybe inspire other students as well,” Jesús said.

Paper Tacos is based in Oldtown Salinas. Jesús runs the business alongside his family and collaborates with Latin American illustrators to grow the product line—all while staying true to his creative roots and cultural identity.

You can find Paper Tacos at Gifts on the Go, Vallarta Super Markets, and online at https://papertacos.com, as well as at other supermarkets in California. Jesús is working with new designers to expand into other markets and cultures, and to go national.

Jesús will be recognized at the Hartnell College Foundation Gala for the Arts on September 13, 2025. More information about the event can be found here.

K-12 STEAM Program

Invention Convention Innovators Award

The Hartnell College Foundation K-12 STEAM Program received a very special recognition from the Salinas City Elementary School District. At a school board meeting, the district Director of Extended Learning, Chloe Johnson, presented the team with the Invention Convention Innovators Award. This summer, Johnson said, “Experiences like the California Invention Convention help shift students’ outlook on the future from limited options to infinite possibilities. We’re especially proud that 15 of our students advanced from our local Invention Convention to the Northern California State Competition in Sacramento where five of them earned awards for their innovative ideas.”

Director of K-12 STEAM Program, Ana Ibarra-Castro, is proud of her team, which includes program coordinators Lupita Arroyo and Andrea Sanchez. Ibarra-Castro said, “It is a true honor to serve the students of the Salinas City Elementary School District. Leaders such as Chloe Johnson, Superintendent Dr. Rebeca Andrade, and the many dedicated administrators and educators are paving the way for a thriving student population—one that will ultimately strengthen and uplift our entire community. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the district’s vision and to be part of this important work.”

Congratulations, K-12 STEAM Program!

President’s Report

July 2025

Superintendent/President Michael Gutierrez has launched a monthly President’s Report. In this issue:

• One Main Street – a new venture
• Hartnell College students performed original play at the prestigious Borderlight Theatre Festival in Cleaveland
• Meet the new Vice President of Student Affairs, Sandra Guzman
• NASA MUREP Aerospace Academy, a success at the K-12 STEAM Program
• Hartnell College receives national recognition in the 2025 Carnegie classifications

To read these stories, click HERE.