Yaretzi Ramirez has done more for the Latino community than just about anyone else at Terrace. Working with Multilingual teachers Leah Sayre and Cheryl Caesar, Ramirez helps people from a range of different races and cultures here at Terrace. When Ramirez was asked what her biggest passion was in high school, she responded by saying, “My biggest passion in high school is to help my community, my Latino community.”
“I mainly help Latino students, but I also help [the] Afghan, [the] Indian community and American community also, I don’t care, because at the end of the day, there are students and they’re looking for something better in the world. It’s my biggest passion,” she said.
Ramirez has done various things to help the Latino community through Latino Student Union (LSU); this includes helping with the multicultural assembly for the past two years. She found the experience both challenging and rewarding due to the three months of preparation required for the event. Ramirez has also helped out LSU during the Holiday Bazaar, planning the LSU table, where they made and sold tamales and hot chocolate. This was another long term project for Ramirez, taking a month to plan.
Ramirez said that after each event, “The money goes to LSU, and after that, some of the money stays for next year, like savings. The rest of the money is for La Cima.”
“La Cima is a big camp of students who are Latinos from all around Washington state. And it’s pretty fun, I went last year. We saved money for that, and for another event, where we’re going to Olympia,” she said.
Ramirez has not only helped the Latino community at Terrace, but has also worked with other schools in the Edmonds School District, helping with dances at Lynnwood and Edmonds-Woodway high schools.
Ramirez also used to work for the Edmonds School District, hosting the radio show “Juventud sin Fronteras” along with Elizabeth Puga, giving the news in both Spanish and English. This provided a valuable resource that furthered cultural inclusion and belonging for the Latino community. The radio show was sadly cut after problems with the district’s budget.
She said, “After that I found so many new clubs, like the student advisory team, where I also advocated for Latino rights… We discuss all of that, just for the community.” When asked what her major achievements were, Ramirez said being chosen as student of the month was one of them. She was very proud of this accomplishment because it recognized all the work she had done over her previous four years. However, Ramirez said the achievement she is most proud of is her work helping the Latino community.
Ramirez said that her future plan is to study at Shoreline Community College, largely due to the fact that it’s close to her house. Her intended area of study is Accounting, choosing it due to her positive experience in Nalin Sood’s personal finance class.
Ramirez also said that in college, she wants to keep helping the community as she did in high school; she hopes to get involved as much as she can. She also said that she will most likely apply to be a paraeducator, mainly to keep helping people, one of her joys in life.
When asked what advice Ramirez had for future students and she said, “I have one thing to mention for all the students in high school. Do what you like. And if you can help the community, it’s better. Don’t always look out only for you, look out for other people. Like how you’re going to help them, or if you help yourself, help the others too. Think about them as well.”
