Carmen Cruz was born and raised on the island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and is currently pursuing an M.A. in International Affairs and Leadership at ASU. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a minor in Political Science from Eastern Oregon University. Her academic interests have focused on international affairs, diplomacy, and national security within the Indo-Pacific region. 

She has been part of the ASU World Innovators program where she conducted research on accountability, integrity, and transparency risk areas within Kyrgyzstan's education system. She had visited Paris, France for an experience focused on planetary citizenship, education, and democracy, where she collaborated with the Learning Planet Institute and UNESCO. She is also currently involved in a Diplomacy Lab project focused on the possibility of a Nicaraguan diplomatic transition. Her long-term goal is to work on anti-corruption and good governance in the Indo-Pacific while strengthening diplomatic, economic, and strategic ties between the United States and countries across the region. She plans to start by focusing on the second Pacific island chain and its role in U.S. national security. 

She has professional experience working at a critical access hospital, supporting her Oregon State Representative, as well as nonprofits focused on rural communities and environmental conservation. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, photography, playing video games, and spending time with her dogs, Loki and Sadie.