By PHENND VISTA Fellow Chambs Ruiz
Hola everyone! My name is Chambs (they/them), and I am delighted to share that I will be joining TTF Watershed as a PHENND VISTA Communications & Engagement Coordinator!
I am a first-gen, Puerto Rican college student who was born and raised in the North/Northeast Philadelphia area. I actually have close ties with TTF, spending most of my childhood at Juniata Park, home to a section of Tacony Creek. Though I graduate in December of 2025 with a Bachelor’s in Film and Media Arts from Temple University, my experience spans greatly.
In 2021, I worked as an Intake Specialist under AmeriCorps’ National Civilian and Community Corps program, stationed at Asociacion Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM). From there, APM hired me as a Digital Connector, capacity building their digital literacy program into a full-fledged 4-week certification in Google and Microsoft software.
Since 2022, I have been a freelance videographer under Embassy: Interactive, LLC, where I have captured and edited content to promote the impact of non-profits around Philadelphia, including but not limited to the Barnes Foundation, Neighborhood Villages, ArtPhilly, Mother Bethel AME, North Philly Project, Philadelphia Theatre Company, and more.
I also joined Temple University’s Babel Poetry Collective, first as a member and then as the Executive Director of Communications.
In 2024, I secured a 9-month-long videography internship with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, documenting a Girl Scout and her mother, also a Girl Scout volunteer, on their journey to make a reading program bridging the literacy gap within youth. In that same year, I shifted into communications via an internship with Spring Point Partners for a year of media projects and marketing campaigns. I promoted learning sessions and partners within their portfolio, creating content for Krista Tippett, Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., adrienne maree brown, and promoting organizations like Philly Youth Basketball, Attic Youth Center, Collective Climb, YouthBuild Philly, and more. Overall, I learned how to use media and film to communicate messages between these prominent figures/organizations and their audiences.
I am an artist at heart, dabbling in poetry, music, and many other crafts, working to blend them into communications and public service, making sure stories the public portrays reflect its audiences in a positive, healing manner. Now, in my year of national service under the PHENND VISTA program, I plan to evaluate and capacity build the communications system at TTF Watershed, implementing strategies and listening to TTF’s communities to form a connection that works to empower them to be a part of building their environments.
Thank you, AmeriCorps and TTF Watershed, for giving me such an opportunity, and I hope you join me in giving back to these neighborhoods I truly call home!
Editor’s Note (by TTF comms manager Wendi Wu):
We are so excited to welcome Chambs Ruiz as our new PHENND VISTA Communications & Engagement Coordinator! Their passion, creativity, and wide-ranging experience are a perfect fit for TTF, and we know they’ll bring incredible energy to our work connecting with the community.
Please join me in giving Chambs a warm welcome!
A big thank you to PHENND and AmeriCorps for making this partnership possible.
