Verónica Ramos with Rotary Club member Dan Herlinger, Adelante Principal Javier Bolívar, and Rotary Club member Michael Baker
The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara recognized UC Santa Barbara’s Teacher Education Program alumna Verónica Ramos earlier this month for her outstanding service and dedication as a sixth-grade, Spanish Dual-Immersion teacher at Adelante Charter School.
In continuation of its 30 year history of supporting education, the Rotary Club awarded Ramos a plaque and a $1000 check to use toward classroom needs. With the funds, Ramos plans to buy books for her students that highlight stories representative of her students' backgrounds, for field trips, and to make her classroom a more comfortable environment for her students.
Ramos is the first of four educators the Santa Barbara Rotary Club will honor this year. With the assistance of the Santa Barbara County Education Office’s Teachers Network, the Santa Barbara Rotary Club selects outstanding educators to honor and extend their gratitude to. Ramos was nominated for this honor by Adelante Charter School Principal, Javier Bolívar.
Ramos (TEP, MST, M.Ed., ‘2011) has taught various levels at Adelante Charter School for the past 12 years, during which she has demonstrated herself a “true leader,” in the words of Principal Bolívar. As an educator, she maintains a firm commitment to educational equity, making sure she gets to know the “needs, wants, and reasons” of every child she teaches, including understanding and recognizing their cultural backgrounds. It is her goal to empower her students to develop full perspectives and critical thinking on social issues through collaborative, cooperative learning.
Before working for Adelante Charter School, Ramos was an AmeriCorps reading tutor at Harding Elementary School. She earned her bilingual teaching credential from the Gevirtz School of Education after graduating from UCSB with a Bachelor’s in Spanish and Chicana/o Studies.