Melissa Ruiz

Melissa Ruiz is an NYC native. She is a competitive paraclimber, paralympic hopeful, and now a future circus performer! Melissa was born with Cerebral Palsy, which causes weakness and stiffness from the waist down. Training as a competitive para climber has helped her get stronger, manage her Cerebral Palsy related symptoms, and gain the courage to seek opportunities she otherwise wouldn’t have thought possible. Melissa has been competing for 7 years, and in that time she has won 4 gold National Championship medals, 1 bronze National Championship medal, 6 gold and 4 silver World Cup medals, as well as 1 silver World Championship medal. Now aerial art allows her to apply her strength in new and creative ways, while also letting her feel light and free. She is thrilled to be the first participant in Omnium circus’ “Pathways to Possibilities”.