Next Step Academy

 My name is German Ramirez. I was born in Cihutlan, Jalisco a beautiful town near the beaches of Mexico. I grew up in small town next to Cihuatlan, named “EL Charco, (the puddle) Colima”. My ranchito although small is a very nice place to live.  Believe it or not a film took place there and in some of the villages around the area. The name of the movie is “Rudo y Cursi” performed by Gael Garcia y Diego Luna. Great movie, I recommend it!. Now back to my secret.

As a mentioned before, my ranchito it is very  small and the school was composed of two classrooms. The first room was made up of students from 1^st – 3^rd grade and the second grades 4^th-6^th.  We were about 20-30 students in each classroom.  Every student had books depending on their academic level. My teacher strategically divided the classroom into three groups according to levels.   I recall every morning my teacher had an assignment ready for us.  That was the best way to start the class and from there she would stop one group at a time and teach the lesson.  Then she’d assign an assignment and continue with the next group and so on.  It was very hard to learn but that how it is when you live in small village.

The first time I paid attention to the importance of school was during the 6^th grade. We had no Junior High or High School in the area. I really wanted to continue an education and I wanted to finish the highest level possible. The closer Junior High was in Cihutlan, Jalisco but it is a 20-minute drive and of course we didn’t have a school bus. I still recall my mom’s word with pain “I am sorry mijito, but I don’t think you will be able to continue studying”, I didn’t even want to ask why.  I knew the culprit was transportation and the lack of money.

Sometimes you just get lucky!  That same year when I was about to finish elementary school, a new junior high was built on the village.  My mom got so happy because she really wanted me to continue my education.  It was called Tele-Secundaria.   Believe it or not, all of the lessons were taught via TV.  I happily graduated from the Tele-Secundaria.  Then I came to this country.

Back to step 1.  Coming to the U.S was not easy. Everything was different to me.  My mom enrolled me at Dinuba High School the same week I arrived.  I had to finish high school in three years.  I wanted to walk on stage with my class. The other option was to move me back a year, but I didn’t want to.  When there’s a will there is a way.  After long negotiation, my counselor agreed to give me partial credits for classes I completed in Mexico.   There another battle began; I was behind one semester in credits.   To compound the challenges, I didn’t know a word of English.   Consequently I had to take English as a Second Language classes.   I put a lot of dedication because I really wanted to graduate on stage.  After jumping through all of the hoops, I did it!

At first I dint know if I would be able to attend college so I worked to help my mom.  But the dreamer that I am did not forgive me that easily.  I had dreams of attending CSU Long Beach.  Little that you know, I got accepted to CSU, Long Beach.  Wow what exhilaration.  But life has a weird way of telling us how insignificant we are.   I could not go!  Give us you say, never…  Not I!  That summer after I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I enrolled at a community college.  You see, it doesn’t matter where you get you degree as long as you get one.  I didn’t know what I wanted to study so many wonderful choices.  After changing it professions four times, business called me.  I received my degree in Business Administration with an option in Accountancy.  You see, I feel so proud of myself because I paid all my education with my hard work and dedication.  Yes you read correctly, no grants, no loans… all paid by the fruits of my labor (not by choice).  I worked at the packing-houses during my entire college career.   I am not going to sugar coat it, it is super hard to be a full time student and at the same time a full time employee.   You have to be two people on one.  Although I wanted to get involved in some type of activities at the school, I just didn’t have the time.  Free time is limited but that’s the price one has to pay for success.  I learned about life the hard way and that’s what makes me so strong.

I am a dreamer. I dream lot.  I have many projects in mind.   I know they may not be easy to achieve, but they are not impossible either.  One of my dreams is to have my own export fruit label.  I have created a logo with my label named “G`man Fresh”, so far many people have liked this. I just need the one with the money.  “Sonar no cuesta nada” (dreaming is free), so let’s dream. I don’t know how many of them I will accomplish but it’s not for lack of trying.   All I know is that I have the GANAS to do it.

I am planning to return to school in the future to get a Master within the education field.  I do love numbers but, I love being outdoors and people too.   Going to different schools to help students is something I truly miss.  You see, I think that children need someone to help.  They need a mentor who will guide them through the obstacles of life.   Some times parents don’t know how to help their kids because of the language or lack of education.  Educating parents is something we need to work on.  Parents will have a better understanding of how the school system works, what different programs are available for their children. Not too many of our people graduate from college now days. We are the one who could make a difference in their lives.

Sometimes we learn the hard way but who said, “Life is simple”.  Sacrifice is the key word for success. Set as many goals as you can, you may not accomplish them all but you will learn from them.  Heck, if I attained Bachelors degree, I don’t see why you cannot.