She studied to become a literature teacher
Born Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso in Santos Suárez in Havana in 1925, Cruz grew up with an extended family of 14 children and her father and mother who were middle-class Cubans and very strict Catholics. Her passion for music and singing was identified at an early age by an aunt who loved to take her out to music concerts every now and then. While in school, Cruz usually spent a lot of time at a neighbor’s home listening to music and learning Santería music from an Afro-American religion of Yoruba origin that developed in Cuba among West Africa. At the time, being an entertainer was not a profession parents dreamt of for their children, especially women. Being strict Catholics, her father wanted her to become a trained teacher. Cruz furthered her education and attended a teacher training school in Havana to become a literature teacher but upon advice from a teacher, she attended Havana’s National Conservatory of Music after graduating from teacher training school.
