For this month’s Latinx Spotlight, I was able to interview Ingrid Ramos, director of Bienestar & Resilience programs in The Women’s Initiative. She’s also one of our board members for Creciendo Juntos.
Her work in the community has been focused on moving our Latinx communities forward in healing and raising awareness for mental health resources within Charlottesville. For many years, her resilience and passion in working with understanding trauma and healing has made her a trusted and loved individual
I was able to sit down with her at her office just before the holiday week.
Ingrid received her bachelor’s degree from the Universidad Tecnológica de Santiago in Dominican Republic. She later on went to her master’s degree in Liberty University.
This brought me to ask her what brought her to Charlottesville? All the way from Dominican Republic?
“Let’s start with how I [arrived] to United States. When I was in my country back then, I was an account first.” She began. “After having some work experiences… I realized that I wanted to shift career so that I could be someone that helps people more directly” She emphasizes that she believes that we can help people from any [backgrounds] regardless of what’s their passion or who they love.
“However, at that time, I was trying to figure out what resonated with me, my passion, and staying true to myself…” She explains that this led her into pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology later on. “By the time that I [completed] my bachelor’s psychology, my husband received an opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in guitar performance as well as an assistantship program in Shenandoah University.”
This has opened up many doors as well for Ingrid. Soon, Ingrid found herself in the area of Winchester, Virginia. This prompted her into seeking for an online program that will allow her to continue pursuing her master’s while still being able to travel to the university whenever needed. She found Liberty University to be her best option.
After I heard that she had to navigate through these education systems in different countries, I asked her what was the experience like for her.
I made a comment about how difficult and intimidating it seems and she agreed immediately. “At the beginning… It sounded like I had a clear path, but I had headaches.” She laughed. “I had to figure out where can I go, where can I study, the legal requirements… It just depends on how you arrive [in the United States] that will affect where you can work or where you can study.”
She brings up how her working experiences as an accountant, as earlier mentioned, provided the requirement of speaking English in business environments. This was able to help her navigate easier than most individuals that arrives in the States with little to no English proficiency. “However, it’s very different to speak English that was meant for business on a daily basis.” She explains that her English skills were limited to being short and sweet, such as asking for what you need directly and being courteous. “I knew enough English to manage myself, but I had to write a lot of papers. That was a str