Ruiz didn\u2019t land at DreamHost on his first try, or even his second. Before joining the team, he worked in business development at a tech-focused sales company, learning the ins and outs of different products and industries. Still, DreamHost was the goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ruiz didn\u2019t get hired on the first try, but he didn\u2019t take no for an answer.\u00a0 He did what resilient people do best when they really want something they know<\/em> they\u2019d be good at: he kept going<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter my application was rejected, I didn\u2019t give up. I kept insisting I had the passion for customers that I had seen in my own interactions with DreamHost,\u201d Ruiz said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With help from a friend (and current DreamHoster) Nelson Armas, he doubled down on learning MySQL, Linux, WordPress, and the broader web ecosystem. Weeks of studying turned into months, and rejection turned into progress. And eventually, the email came: DreamHost wanted to interview him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That persistence is now part of what he brings to customers every day: a steady, \u201cwe\u2019ll figure this out\u201d energy that comes from having done it himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Ruiz talks about what makes DreamHost\u2019s culture different, there\u2019s one word he comes back to: people<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A couple of years into his time here, Ruiz experienced a devastating loss when his sister passed away in a tragic accident. He expected the standard corporate response, a few days off and a quick return to normal. Except that\u2019s not what happened. His manager, Evan Stanton, told him to take the time he needed and checked in regularly to make sure he was okay. For Ruiz, that support wasn\u2019t just kind; it was life-changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It reinforced something he now believes deeply: DreamHost isn\u2019t a place where employees are treated like numbers. It\u2019s a place where people show up for each other. It feels like family to him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a company that doesn’t see their employees just as numbers, but that they\u2019re really human,\u201d Ruiz said. \u201cI never felt like I belonged to a place as if they were my family as I’ve been feeling that with DreamHost since the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruiz\u2019s resilience also shows up in how he approaches his work. He loves learning because no two tech support days are the same. Right now, he\u2019s on the growth path program, focusing on leadership, communication, and coaching (to him, the difference between being a boss and being a leader). <\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s also honest about the moments that tested him. Less than a year ago, he hit a rough patch at work and worried his performance might cost him his job. Instead of spiraling, he paused, reflected, and built a plan to improve, pulling directly from lessons he\u2019d learned reading Atomic Habits<\/em> by James Clear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere was a certain time where I was really thinking that at some point I was getting fired because my workflow was a mess,\u201d Ruiz recalled. \u201cSo I took this time to analyze. The guidance of the book helped me structure a plan to solve the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That reset worked. Ruiz\u2019s performance surged, he earned recognition from his managers, and he moved forward in his growth path. It\u2019s a reminder that resilience isn\u2019t without its struggles, it\u2019s learning how to climb back out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outside of work, Ruiz\u2019s resilience takes more fun forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruiz is the oldest of five siblings, with one living in Spain. He\u2019s a longtime musician who taught himself guitar as a kid and now plays bass in a band with fellow DreamHoster, Chris (Ash) Sanclemente. Their setup is basically the DreamHost version of a garage band, except the \u201cgarage\u201d is Discord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s also a big reader of personal growth and finance books (again, Atomic Habits<\/em> is his MVP). And then there are his cats: Billy and Mandy, named after The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy<\/em> because their personalities match the characters perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Billy, in particular, has become a symbol of Ruiz\u2019s whole outlook. Earlier this year, Billy fell from an eighth-floor window and survived with serious injuries, multiple surgeries, and enough casts to make him look like he\u2019s starring in his own superhero origin story. Miguel didn\u2019t hesitate: he found a way to cover the costs, leaned on community support, and focused on Billy\u2019s daily recovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-768x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDreamHost as a Place to Heal and Grow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-3-1024x768.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nResilience in the Work, Too<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-4-683x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLife Beyond the Tickets<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.dreamhost.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-1-1024x768.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n