Santino Ruiz was born in Tapaste Cuba, a small town on the outskirts of Havana. At the age of 7 his family moved to Ecuador and maintained residence in Guayaquil until the age of 9. Santino, his brother, mother and father arrived in Miami in 1996, and have remained residents of South Florida since their arrival.
Santino attended Coral Park Senior High School, then went on to attend Miami Dade College Kendall Campus where he earned his Associate in Arts Degree. Santino then attended Florida International University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.