马塞诸斯州大学波士顿

罗西塔·比阿特丽斯·拉米雷斯·文图拉, Class of 2024 graduate from the College of Science and Mathematics, was named this year’s JFK Award for Academic Excellence recipient, the highest honor a 马塞诸斯州大学波士顿 undergraduate student can receive.

Ramirez will graduate with a degree in biochemistry, after completing her Senior Honors Thesis research at Harvard Medical School, where she also serves as a mentor to Boston Public 学校 students through the MEDscienceLAB K-12 science outreach program.

毕业后, Ramirez is looking forward to continuing her investigation into the genetic mechanisms of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy under Dr. Sattar Khoshkhoo, founding director of the Epilepsy Genetics Clinic at Brighman and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, while she applies to MD/PhD dual degree programs in pursuit of becoming a physician scientist.

“Rosita Ramirez has shown a dedication to service that is truly laudable,Megan Rokop报道, chair of the 2024 JFK Award Selection Committee wrote in a nomination letter. “The committee was in awe of Rosita’s accomplishments during college, and the committee found Rosita to be an intelligent and articulate individual who is truly dedicated to the service of our university, 我们的城市, 我们的世界.”

Being named the JFK Award recipient has been a humbling experience and is a culmination of the collective efforts and the unwavering support of those who have supported and inspired her along the way, 拉米雷斯说. Born in the United States to Guatemalan parents, Ramirez’s family moved back to Guatemala when she was seven years old. She returned a decade later by herself to pursue her education, starting at Westfield State University before transferring to 马塞诸斯州大学波士顿 to study biochemistry.

“As the first person in my family to graduate college, this award is as much my own as it is my for my family and my community,”她说。. “This recognition serves as a beacon of hope for the next generation of immigrants, proving that despite what comes with being a Latinx student, there are boundless possibilities waiting for us.”

Raised in a single-parent household after her father passed away when she was young, Ramirez’s mother taught her how to navigate through life’s challenges with love, 强度, 和弹性, 并且总是帮助有需要的人. Inspired by the lessons her mother taught her, Ramirez has dedicated much of her time to service, 包括自愿做导师, organizing panel discussions on diversity in STEM, and preparing and delivering COVID-19 test kits for MetroWest Union Hospital during the height of the pandemic.

“通过服务, my goal was to turn my challenges into positive, 持久的改变, and to be a voice for those who have been historically oppressed and overlooked,”她说。. “每天, 我努力成为一个更好的人, 赋予下一代领导者权力, 实现社会公正, and dismantle the systemic racism that continues to disproportionally affect the health and wealth equity in our communities.”

Although her journey back to the United States felt uncertain and lonely, Ramirez describes 马塞诸斯州大学波士顿 as a place of refuge and a second home as she balanced multiple jobs while pursuing her degree.

“It wasn’t just a place of learning; it was a place where I could grow, 茁壮成长, 发掘我的潜能,”她说。. “This campus fed me when I struggled to put food on my table, hugged me when I had nobody to turn to, and provided me with a sense of belonging.”

在她还是学生的时候, she had the opportunity to complete programs at Tufts University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School, which sparked her interested in becoming a researcher. 她还曾在加纳留学, 非洲, where she learned about local and global health disparities, deepening her commitment to reducing health barriers and bridging the gap between science and innovative medicine.

“当我为前面的路做准备时, I will never forget that it was 马塞诸斯州大学波士顿 that helped me arrive at these realizations, 给了我未来的基础, and provided me with opportunity after opportunity to succeed,”她说。.

Ramirez hopes her commencement speech recognizes and celebrates the wonderful diversity at 马塞诸斯州大学波士顿, especially of her fellow first-gen graduates. Reaching graduation is a testament to the resilience, 的决心, and commitment to education against all odds, and her goal for her speech is for the audience to see themselves reflected in her words and to be inspired to pursue their own dreams fearlessly.

“As the first ones in our families to approach higher education, 我们不仅仅是在打破循环, 而是, 我们正在开始新的一代,”她说。. “In a world that is quick to tell us that our ideas and plans were too bold and unrealistic, we held on to our ability to dream and aspire to occupy spaces where we have not traditionally seen ourselves represented.”