CSUSB Palm Desert Outstanding Grad exemplifies tough path many locals face to higher ed
Alejandra Ramirez is this year’s most outstanding graduate from Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus.
Ramirez, who lives in Cathedral City and is a graduate of Rancho Mirage High School, received a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science during the school's commencement ceremony May 20.
“I am incredibly proud of all the risks I took as an undergraduate,” Ramirez said. “Receiving the PDC Outstanding Undergraduate Award enabled me to really recognize all that I have accomplished.”
Her journey to this achievement is emblematic of the road many Coachella Valley students take to higher education. After completing high school in 2019, she wished to leave the region for college, but finances played a role in her decision ultimately to attend College of the Desert.
At COD, she played softball and decided to study kinesiology because of her love of sports. But her dedication to the field really took off once she landed at CSUSB.
With kinesiology professor V Ambati, she quickly became involved in researching eye gaze behavior in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. That required her to commute to the college’s main campus in San Bernardino, a process she embraced en route to “seeing what the true meaning of research was.”
Inspired, Ramirez plans to become a pediatric physical therapist. As she takes a gap year to complete courses required to apply to doctoral programs, she will also be working as a rehab aide at Children’s Physical Therapy and Wellness in La Quinta.
Ramirez credits her parents with installing in her a dedication to education. Mom, Lorena, is a nutrition services worker at Palm Springs Unified; and Dad, Carlos, is a gardener. Her father finished his formal education in Mexico after fifth grade because he needed to start working, and her mother took one year of courses at COD before she began working, as well.
Because they were unable to finish their education, Ramirez says both her parents stressed that was something Ramirez needed to do.
“They've always pushed education on me, and they've always pushed me to maintain a busy schedule,” she said.
Her parents would tell her, “If you need us to help you financially, let us know — education comes first.”
Still, since she was a freshman in high school, Ramirez has had to work. First, she was a seasonal employee at Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage. Then, she took a job at Subway, later Lulu’s California Bistro in Palm Springs, and next at Starbucks as a barista.
Many students could have looked upon these experiences as excuses to achieve less in school. Ramirez saw them as opportunities.
“I was able to work on my time management skills and learn to be able to just stay calm under pressure,” she said of balancing schoolwork and part-time jobs.
Of course, she was relieved when she ultimately took a paid research ambassador position at CSUSB, allowing her to focus more on her academics while continuing to earn some income.
For valley students following a similar path, such as her younger siblings, Ramirez recommends to always take opportunities “no matter how scary they are.”
“Just do it, because you’ll learn with experience,” she said. “And if an opportunity means a lot to you, you’re going to be able to succeed.”
Jonathan Horwitz covers education for The Desert Sun. Reach him at jonathan.horwitz@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: CSUSB Palm Desert grad exemplifies tough path many face to higher ed
