BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Just a few years ago, Elizabeth Ruiz’s life was unrecognizable. She spent most of her life in Los Angeles, where she faced crushing hardships, including homelessness. Determined to reclaim her future, she moved to Bakersfield to care for her mother — and to spark a fresh start.
“I lived in LA for most of my life. That’s where I became homeless, and then I came to Bakersfield to help my mother. I worked at Walmart for a time being and then the pandemic hit, and I found out they were opening BFL1, so I applied there. That was the first building I’ve ever worked in, and I feel at home. It’s a weird feeling, a lot of people don’t understand it, but I feel at home.” Elizabeth said.
Landing the job during the pandemic gave Elizabeth a lifeline, hope, and stability in one of the most uncertain moments of her life.
After stepping away to care for her sick mother, she came back with fierce determination: to climb the ladder, finish what she started, and prove to herself she could rise. “It gave me hope. It made me feel like I could accomplish something. I had to take some time off because my mom got sick, and I rejoined Amazon when they launched BFL2, and here I had a clear goal. I wanted to move up. I knew that I left with unfinished business when I left BFL1, and I wanted to move up, and I did.” She said.
Rebuilding confidence hasn’t been easy. Past struggles brought self-doubt, but she says the encouragement from her team was a powerful push forward. “It has been a very difficult journey because I’m not only battling my own concerns, you put yourself down a lot. I doubt myself a lot because of my past, but here I have the best team ever,” She said.
Elizabeth trained in multiple positions before eventually becoming a Process Assistant at BFL2 — a leadership role where she now helps oversee operations on the receive dock.
Layla Angel is an Air Manager for the receive dock at Amazon and she says, “There’s something in Liz because she has a big heart and she knows how to get to people on a personal level to where the respect is through the roof when it comes to Liz.”
The transformation isn’t just career success; it’s personal. Elizabeth says the stability she’s found has rebuilt family bonds and sparked new ambitions, including writing a book about her extraordinary journey. “A lot of growth, a lot of passion, a lot of stability, a lot of hope. That encouraged me to write a book about my experiences and the life that I live. I am happy because now I have a great relationship with my children and my grandkids, and now I have become the person they depend on, so Amazon has given me a lot… a lot.”
Elizabeth says her story is proof that rebuilding your life is possible — even after some of your hardest moments. She says while her title may have changed over the years, the biggest transformation has been the stability and confidence she now carries into everyday life.
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