Voices of Making Waves: Meet Armando Ramirez
“I always try to advocate for both mental health and for higher education, especially in the Latino community,” shared Armando Ramirez (he/him).
“It is very important. I’m tired of seeing a lot of people in my generation and then the previous generations missing opportunities because of misinformation or lack of support.”
Growing up in Richmond and graduating from Making Waves Academy, Armando is passionate about his love of learning, with an intrinsic motivation to become a therapist.
But the path to his college and career dreams hasn’t always been easy.
“I didn’t even make Honor Society in high school. And now I’m in a top program at UC Berkeley. It’s a big achievement in itself,” he shared.
“I’ve been through the bottom and built myself up. I hope I can be an example.”
“It takes a lot of work and motivation,” shared Armando. “You’re not always going to be motivated, but if you find what you love learning, then you can push through the tough times.”
From undecided about college to UC Berkeley
“Growing up, I was very academic, getting straight As and all that. My parents pushed me to be the best student I could possibly be,” shared Armando, who said that towards high school his grades started to slip.
“It was a mixture of teacher shortages within the school and challenges personal to my family,” he shared. “My trajectory in academics started to change and that started leading me towards going into the workforce right after high school.”
Amando shared how a lot of his family and friends were in construction or the trades. “I was hearing how much money they were making and that was kind of warping my mind towards going into the workforce right away.”
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“The pandemic was the worst thing for me, but also the best thing,” Armando shared. “That’s where my trajectory started to change from going into the workforce to deciding to go to college.”
“Sports helped me find my love for academics and then also for college,” shared Armando, who was on the cross country team all four years of high school. He became a team captain during the pandemic and found motivation and mentorship through his relationship with the team coaches.
After graduating from Making Waves Academy, Armando enrolled in community college at Diablo Valley College for two years. Beating the odds of only 10% of students successfully transferring from community college to four-year universities, Armando transferred to UC Berkeley, one of the country’s top public universities.
Armando reached out to friends from Making Waves Academy, Jacqueline Trujillo, who goes to UCLA, and Lizbeth Ibarra, who goes to Harvard, for help writing his college essays and sharing his story in his application to UC Berkeley.
“I wrote about stories unique to me,” Armando shared. “I shared about challenges I faced throughout my life and my journey leading up to these applications.”
An advocate for Latinos in higher education
“Going to college has been 100% worth it,” shared Armando, who is in his junior year majoring in psychology. “There is misinformation that you can make more money if you go right into the workforce and a lack of information of opportunities that can come from college, especially for Latinos.”
According to an American Community Survey, Latino and Black young men have the lowest educational attainment in California, with 13% and 16% holding at least a bachelor’s degree, respectively, compared to women of the same race (24% and 27%, respectively) and white and Asian men (41% and 60%, respectively).
“This underrepresentation has pushed me to be an advocate for Latinos because I feel like many think they can’t afford college or that they need to work.”
“I told myself I didn’t want to be part of the statistic,” shared Armando. “I wanted to break that cycle going into college and not be a part of that belief that we’re not meant to be in higher education.”
“A lot of times students go into the workforce right away to help provide for the family, but there are ways to get your education and work at the same time and then have a different career after graduation.”
A love of learning to overcome challenges
As Armando started courses at UC Berkeley, he shared about needing to confront imposter syndrome, a sense of doubting one’s abilities often because of environments of systemic discrimination and bias.
“It helped to talk with other classmates to see we all feel that sometimes,” he shared. “Once you start humanizing your peers, you start realizing everyone’s struggling in their own way.”
“You’re going to have your wins and you’re going to have your losses. It’s good to know everyone has their shared balances of both. You can still succeed even when you fail,” Armando shared.
In addition to gaining support from classmates, Armando shared that he creates study groups and regularly attends professor office hours to get a better understanding of course material, review essays, and study for exams.
“I love learning. That’s always been my thing,” shared Armando. “Diving into all the different topics in psychology made me fall in love.”
“In college I took my first psychology class, a child development course, and I fell in love with it,” shared Armando. “I loved learning how a child develops and how relationships can affect children.”
Armando also shared about how he uses this love of learning to motivate him towards his goal of becoming a therapist. “A lot more is achievable once you find what you love and then going after that,” he said.
Representation in mental healthcare
With one more year left until he earns his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, Armando plans to attend graduate school to earn the credentials needed to be a therapist.
“I struggled a lot with mental health problems,” he shared. “I’ve been going to therapy since 7th grade and since then I’ve always been a big advocate for mental health counseling.”
“Plus, there is a lack of representation of men of color in therapy and in clinical psychology, especially Latinos,” Armando shared.
According to the American Psychological Association, or the APA, about 83% of the U.S. psychology workforce is white and only about 7% are Hispanic or Latinx, compared to only 60% of the U.S. population being white and about 18% being Hispanic or Latinx.
“I want to be that representation in the mental health field for Latinos.”
Armando said “the sky is the limit” for his graduate school options as he looks into programs at universities such as Sonoma State, Stanford, Harvard, and Yale.
From mentee to mentor
Armando credits his mentors from Making Waves with providing him with the wisdom and guidance that help him navigate challenges and reach his goals.
“Honestly, if it wasn’t for the male role models in my life, I probably wouldn’t be in the position I am now,” shared Armando.
“There would be weekdays where I wouldn’t see my father because by the time he came home from work, it was already time for me to go to bed for the next day for school. So I really didn’t have that male role model to talk with everyday,” he said.
In addition to his coaches and teachers, Armando found mentorship in Dr. Antonio Martinez (he/him), the associate dean of students at Making Waves Academy at the time. “Coach Dan would hold me accountable and put me in check. Dr. Martinez helped me a lot with how to care for myself and my relationships.”
Flash forward a few years and now Dr. Martinez is a college success coach at Making Waves Education Foundation and Armando is one of his students.
“I can’t believe it,” shared Armando. “He’s always very supportive. I always enjoy hearing the wisdom he’s given to me or the experiences he’s gone through that I can learn from.”
“Armando is an intelligent, charismatic, and compassionate young man pursuing a career in psychology with the goal of giving back to his community and inspiring others through his success,” Dr. Martinez shared.
“I believe his journey, dedication, and experiences serve as an inspiring example for our students, especially with young men of color, and beyond,” he added.
Armando has also reconnected with the cross country team at Making Waves Academy – this time as an assistant coach.
“Being a coach has reminded me why I fell in love with running and psychology in the first place,” shared Armando. “I enjoy seeing people develop and get better, academically, athletically, and with their mental health.”
“I enjoy being a mentor. And some of the problems that they’re going through, I went through. It’s a way to provide the experiences I had in high school to the next waves of students,” he shared.
“I’ve learned it’s ok not to be perfect. You’re going to make mistakes. That’s the point, you’re doing something new.”
