Ruben Ramirez dreaded going to school as an elementary student. Between the ages of 8 and 11, he moved back and forth between Mexico and Chicago, which not only made school difficult, but learning English as well. At 13 years old, he could barely speak the language.
His fraternal grandmother in Mexico always talked to him about education. She had her doctorate and worked in schools for 32 years as a teacher and principal. But Ramirez was quiet, struggled with grades, and tried not to be noticed in school.
“I was scared of saying things the wrong way,” he said. “That definitely hindered me. I knew the material.”
In high school, everything changed.
“I got really involved and that’s where my leadership and social skills decided to take off,” he said. “I started seeing the value in education my freshman year. That’s when I started going from a C student to an A student and fell in love with all aspects of education.”
This fall, the senior elementary education major is doing his student teaching with third-graders at Avon Elementary in Round Lake. And he’ll be watching for students who may not raise their hand.
“I want to make sure students who are in the position I was in are seen,” he said. “That is what’s most important to me.”
Ramirez transferred to ISU in 2022 after attending community college during the pandemic. Although he wasn’t planning on coming to ISU, he was familiar with campus because two of his uncles, Omar Gomez ’21 M.S., and Ulises Gomez, ’23, earned their degrees in education here.
“When I came to campus, I fell in love with it,” he said.
He discovered the Multicultural Center and became a student worker there. “That’s where I fell in love with student life and getting involved,” he said.
Dr. Erin Mikulec, interim director of the School of Teaching and Learning, noticed Ramirez right away when she taught him during his first semester.
“He gave 110 percent every day and was an absolute rock star with the students we partnered with at Chiddix Junior High,” she said. “He has become involved in various groups and is a standout in all of his classes.”
Last year Ramirez worked with two seventh-grade students in a Chiddix ESL class. One spoke Spanish and was from Mexico. Ramirez was told building a relationship with him could be a challenge.
“I came in with the intent of ‘How can I get him engaged?’ I started talking to him in Spanish and related things to what I knew in Mexico and what he knew in Mexico and I was able to get him engaged,” Ramirez said. “During the beginning he was very playful and kind of only wanted to goof off, but when he realized I knew everything he was saying, he put all his attention on me. He was able to be more present with the content.”
Ramirez, who is earning an ESL endorsement, was teaching science, literacy, and math.
“I am very proud to have been his teacher and to have seen him grow,” he said. “I did see a shift in focus from someone who wasn’t engaged to someone who wanted to learn, in nine weeks.”
Ramirez will graduate in December with a bachelor’s in elementary education and an ESL endorsement. He plans to get his master’s degree within five years, with the goal of becoming a school administrator in Waukegan or north Chicago, where he grew up. “It’s primarily a black and brown community,” he said. “I realize disparities in our educational system and want to work closely with students I’m able to relate with.”
