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| Character Statistics | |
| Full Name: | Dana Cruz |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age Group: | 13 (Season 1) |
| Birthday: | November 9, 1990 |
| Ethnicity: | Hispanic |
| Occupation: | Student |
| Affiliation: | Pacific Coast Academy (Season 1) |
| Relationships | |
| Brothers: | Danny Cruz (younger brother) |
| Sisters: | Dani Cruz (older sister) |
| Mother: | Mrs. Cruz |
| Father: | Mr. Cruz |
| Date: | Logan Reese (dance date) |
| Friends: | Zoey Brooks (former roomate) Nicole Bristow (former roomate) Chase Matthews Michael Barret Logan Reese Quinn Pensky Dustin Brooks |
| Nemesis: | Nicole Bristow (occasionally) Logan Reese (occasionally) |
| Production Info | |
| Portrayed by: | Kristin Herrera |
| First Appearance: | Welcome to PCA |
| Last Appearance: | Little Beach Party |
| Reason: | Moved to France for an exchange student program. |
Dana Cruz (Kristin Herrera) was one of the main characters in the Nickelodeon TV series Zoey 101. She was the roommate and friend of Zoey Brooks and Nicole Bristow in Season 1. Her other good friends are Michael Barret and Chase Matthews. Dana enjoys playing basketball along with her best friend Zoey. She is one of the first girls on the PCA Basketball Team. She also enjoys riding skateboards. Dana owns a purple Jet X and usually sleeps on the bottom bunk in her dorm room. Although Dana doesn't get along with her friends most of the time, she is quite a good friend and sticks beside them when they are in trouble. Dana was only a main character in Season 1. As stated in Season 2, she was accepted to a European Exchange Student Program to study in Paris, with Lola Martinez taking her spot in Room 101.
Character History
Dana with Zoey and Nicole in season 1
Dana is one of Zoey's season one roommates. Dana is good at sports, particularly basketball. In some episodes it was seen that she also likes to skateboard. She also loves to sleep, hates to wake up, and considers mankind's greatest invention to be the snooze button on her alarm clock. She frequently argued with roommate Nicole Bristow, whom Dana blamed for giving her frequent nightmares about "death by blow dryer." Dana's bad attitude is comparable to that of Logan Reese, whom she cannot stand, although both have quite a bit in common and went to a school dance together. Dana has a strong-willed personality and will often try to do things on her own, which is shown in "Jet X," but finds she succeeds more in a group. She tends to be sometimes tomboyish, aggressive, and negative. Dana has two arguments throughout the series with Zoey Brooks, one in New Roomies and another in Jet X. She is a snob, but she can be sweet at times. Dana is devious and really knows how to mess with Logan.
Relationships
Zoey Brooks
Dana met Zoey on her first day at PCA and although they got off on the wrong foot, they quickly became best friends after that and spent most of their time together at PCA. Zoey often had to break up fights between Dana and her other roommate Nicole Bristow during their first year. Dana and Zoey only have two arguments during the series. Dana and Zoey are both on the Basketball Team and Disc Golf Team together. After Dana left PCA, she and Zoey still kept in touch and remained close friends.
Dustin Brooks
Dana and Dustin didn't interact with each other a whole lot.
Nicole Bristow
Dana met Nicole on her first day at PCA and they didn't get along very well because of Dana's attitude. Nicole and Dana constantly fought, something best shown in New Roomies, and Zoey had to break them up. Towards the end of the first season, Nicole and Dana had made peace and were friends though they still bickered. Dana and Nicole are both on the Disc Golf Team together. The two remained friends after Dana left PCA.
Chase Matthews
Dana met Chase through Zoey and they became friends. They would often speak to each other and hang out together. Dana and Chase got along most of the time and are both on the Disc Golf Team together. They both remained friends after Dana left after her first year. It is clear that Dana is closer to Chase and Michael than she is with Dustin or Logan.
Michael Barret
Dana and Michael didn't interact with each other a whole lot, but when they did, they seemed to get along well as seen in "Backpack."
Logan Reese
Dana and Logan fought a lot during Dana's time at the school and would usually insult each other whenever they see each other but also got along on several occasions. They are both on the Disc Golf Team and Basketball Team together. In the episode School Dance, Logan suggested he wanted to make out with her, and she almost kissed him on the dance floor but stomped on his foot as a trick. The two made peace after the first season and became friends. They remained friends after Dana left PCA.
Quinn Pensky
Dana and Quinn had a few interactions with each other, they seemed to get along as seen in ''Quinn's Date.''
Appearances
Despite only appearing in Season 1, Dana is only present for all 13 episodes. She is mentioned once by Chase in Season 2 "Back to PCA" and appeared in flashbacks during Season 3 "PCA Confidential." Dana does not appear in any of the Zoey 101 TV Movies. Dana never came back in Season 2 or Season 3 or Season 4.
Personality traits
Dana is a bit of a tom-boy, but yet has somewhat of a girly attitude as well. She is into sports and is one of the first girls on the PCA Basketball Team and is on the Disc Golf Team. Dana also enjoys skateboarding and riding around on her purple Jet X. Dana is a Straight A student as she does very well in her lessons.
Dana's tom-boy physique can often cause people to mistake her for being rather snobbish and intimidating. However, her heart is in the right place, and it is clear that she knows who her friends are and takes no prisoners.
Trivia
- She was originally written as Logan's love interest, as hinted by their belligerent sexual tension, but this role was given to Quinn after Dana left the show.
- In real life after Season 1 ended, Kristin Herrera was unceremoniously fired from Zoey 101 because she always forgets most of her lines as seen in ''Little beach party'' she hardly has any dialogue leaving a lot of her fans disappointed, so Victoria Justice replaced her for the rest of the series.
- She is the only main character to not interact with Lola Martinez. Along with Chase and Nicole, Dana also never interacts with James Garrett.
- Her birthday is February 21.
- And her zodiac sign is Pisces♓.
- Dana is the only female of the main cast, who is not born in 1991, she was born in 1990.
- She and Lola are both Hispanic, however, they have not met each other.
- Kristin Herrera actually returned to Nickelodeon on an All That episode, despite her being written out of the series.
- Dana does not appear in Zoey 102. Kristin revealed in the comments on an Instagram post she was offered the chance to reprise her role but turned it down to focus on raising her child. However, she admitted it would have been fun playing her again.
