Someone believed in him. Now this CSUSB alumnus and entrepreneur inspires others.

When Jose Navarrete Cruz was a student at Cajon High School in San Bernardino, college seemed out of reach

Once a promising student, he had lost interest in school. His grades had plummeted, and his transcript was filled with failing marks.

But one person saw something in him that his grades didn't reflect.

A high school counselor noticed his surprisingly high SAT score and recognized what others might have overlooked: Navarrete Cruz had potential. He just needed someone to help him see it.

Rather than allowing his academic struggles to define his future, the counselor worked with him to develop a plan to improve his grades and qualify for college admission.

"I wouldn't have gone to college, in reality," Navarrete Cruz recalled. "Had that counselor just seen me as another checkbox – ‘he has bad grades, he has no potential’ – instead, she looked at the whole picture, she saw the potential in me, and she guided me to go to college."

That encouragement changed the trajectory of his life.

Today, Navarrete Cruz is a successful entrepreneur, a lecturer in finance at Cal State San Bernardino's Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, and a proud first-generation alumnus with three bachelor's degrees and two master's degrees from CSUSB.

He's also the co-founder of Kids That Code Inc., a thriving Inland Empire business that introduces children to coding, robotics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Founded while he was pursuing his Master of Business Administration degree at CSUSB, Kids That Code, Inc. now operates throughout the Inland Empire with its central location in Riverside, helping young people discover talents and opportunities they might never have imagined.

As the nation celebrates National Entrepreneurship Month in November, Navarrete Cruz's story illustrates how a college education can do more than prepare someone for a career. It can reveal unexpected talents, open doors to new possibilities and inspire a commitment to helping others succeed.

For Navarrete Cruz, it all began when someone believed in his potential.

Discovering his potential at CSUSB

Growing up in San Bernardino, Navarrete Cruz knew his parents valued education, even though neither had completed high school. As immigrants from Mexico, they encouraged him to attend college but had little experience navigating higher education themselves.

His counselor's encouragement helped him get back on track, but another life-changing development gave him a renewed sense of purpose. During his senior year, he learned he was going to become a father.

"I thought, okay, now I have someone that's going to depend on me,” he said. “I need to get my act together. I need to go to college and change my life.”

With a 2.5 GPA, he barely met CSUSB's admission requirements. But once he arrived on campus, he rediscovered an enthusiasm for academics that had been missing for years.

"I loved everything I was learning," he said. "I was just fully immersed in the class experience and all the knowledge that I was gaining."

A personal finance course during his first year introduced him to concepts he could immediately apply to his own life. He learned about credit, saving and investing, sparking an interest that would eventually shape his career.

He also discovered that entrepreneurship, something he'd enjoyed since childhood, was a field he could study. As a youngster, he'd made money selling burned CDs and Pokémon cards to classmates, never imagining that his entrepreneurial instincts could lead to a college degree.

When he learned CSUSB offered an entrepreneurship program, he changed his major. His growing interest in finance led him to add that as a second major, followed by a third in real estate.

In 2013, he graduated with three bachelor's degrees in business administration, with concentrations in entrepreneurial management, finance and real estate. He continued his education at CSUSB, earning his MBA with concentrations in entrepreneurship and finance.

Along the way, he received the Spirit of the Entrepreneur Scholarship and was recognized as his college’s Outstanding Student in Real Estate.

Just as important were the faculty members from the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration who recognized his abilities, encouraged his ambitions and helped him make connections beyond the classroom. Their mentorship reinforced a lesson that began with his high school counselor: Sometimes, it takes someone else to help you recognize your own potential.

From the classroom to entrepreneurship

One of the most significant opportunities to emerge from his CSUSB experience was Kids That Code Inc.

While pursuing his MBA, Navarrete Cruz met the person who would become his business partner, Alfonso Anaya. Together, they developed a company dedicated to introducing children to technology and preparing them for a rapidly changing world. Through hands-on programs in coding, robotics, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, Kids That Code, Inc. introduces children to emerging technologies and the career possibilities they offer.

Founded in 2015, Kids That Code Inc. has grown into a thriving business with two Inland Empire locations, including its main interactive STEAM learning center in Riverside. As chief financial officer and director of operations, Navarrete Cruz draws on the financial and entrepreneurial skills he developed at CSUSB to help guide the company's growth. The company also partners with school districts to bring its programs directly to students, expanding access to technology education for children who might not otherwise have those opportunities.

For Navarrete Cruz, that mission is personal. Having experienced how education changed his own future, he wants children from all backgrounds to have the chance to discover their abilities.

"We see several students that are very talented," he said. "We see bright futures for them, and it's just planting that seed in them."

For Navarrete Cruz, the connections he made at CSUSB helped turn an idea into a business that continues to create opportunities for others.

Helping others discover what they're capable of

Entrepreneurship isn't the only talent Navarrete Cruz discovered at CSUSB.

While pursuing his degrees, he frequently helped classmates understand challenging finance concepts. As a graduate assistant, he tutored students who were struggling in their courses and discovered how much he enjoyed teaching.

"I just had a passion for teaching," he said. "I absolutely love teaching, especially the students that we have there at Cal State, with many of them being first generation."

In 2016, he returned to CSUSB as a lecturer in finance, bringing his experience as an entrepreneur and business consultant into the classroom. Today, he helps students connect financial concepts to real-world business decisions through practical examples, simulations and hands-on projects. He also mentors students participating in the International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition, where CSUSB teams have earned awards against universities from across the country and around the world.

But beyond teaching finance, Navarrete Cruz wants his students to develop confidence in their abilities.

"Because so many instructors had such a positive impact on me, I feel like I owe that to my students, as well," he said. "I want them to have a good experience. I personally think that every single one of my students can succeed."

It's a philosophy rooted in his own experiences, from the counselor who helped him get to college to the professors who encouraged him once he arrived.

Now, whether he's teaching university students or helping children explore technology through Kids That Code Inc., he's committed to providing the same encouragement that helped transform his life.

A legacy of opportunity

For Navarrete Cruz, education has always represented something larger than personal achievement. It's connected to the sacrifices of his family, particularly his grandfather, who established roots in the United States despite never learning to read. Navarrete Cruz didn't discover that his grandfather was unable to read until near the end of his life.

The realization left a lasting impression.

"This person, who didn't know how to read, did so much for us,” he said. “I would be doing him a disservice if I didn't keep his legacy going.”

Today, that legacy continues through his work as an educator, entrepreneur and mentor.

He is also pursuing a doctor of business administration in finance at Sacred Heart University, continuing an academic path that once seemed unlikely.

From a high school student who barely qualified for college admission to a successful entrepreneur with several CSUSB degrees, Navarrete Cruz has experienced firsthand the difference that education, encouragement and opportunity can make.

And now he's helping create those same opportunities for others. Through Kids That Code Inc., he's introducing children to possibilities they may never have imagined. In his university classroom, he's helping students develop the knowledge, confidence and skills to pursue successful careers. In both roles, he's carrying forward a lesson that began with a counselor who saw potential in a struggling teenager.

Looking back, Navarrete Cruz has no doubt about the value of his CSUSB education.

"It opened up so many doors for me,” he said. “For me, personally, I think that CSUSB changed my life.”

Watch the video to hear Jose Navarrete Cruz share how his CSUSB education helped him turn his entrepreneurial ambitions into a successful business.