Providing a sense of home for fellow Latinx students
CSD graduate assistant Idania Ramos advises many TU Latinx organizations
By Kyle Hobstetter on October 11, 2022
After graduating from UMBC in 2020, Idania Ramos was looking to continue her education in psychology. In a very bold move, she applied to just one graduate school: Towson University.
When asked what made TU’s counseling psychology graduate program stand out, Ramos says she couldn’t find another that offers such devotion to social justice work on a master’s level.
“I view therapy as a way to equip human beings with skills to access their power,” Ramos says. “I specifically wanted to work with Latinx students and clients. I think this is the place that truly could equip me with the skills I need to do the work I want to do.”
Ramos, a Salvadoran first-generation college student, has always had a passion for helping her fellow Latinx students.
While at UMBC, Ramos worked as an ambassador for the Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion and Belonging (i3b). In 2020, she received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English, American history and American culture in Spain.
When she arrived on TU’s campus and saw the Center for Student Diversity (CSD) was looking for a graduate assistant to work with Latinx and undocumented students, she immediately applied.
Initially, Ramos worked directly with a former staff member who served as a mentor and friend. When the mentor departed TU in early 2022, Ramos found herself the temporary adviser of several student organizations, including the Latin American Student Organization, the Pasión Latin Dance Team and Greek organizations Sigma Iota Alpha, Lambda Theta Alpha and Lambda Theta Phi. She also has been working heavily in advising many of TU’s undocumented students.
Ramos says, “When I found out she was leaving, I was devastated, but, at the same time, I kept telling myself that I could do this. My goal was to try my very best to connect with these students.
One of the keys to stepping into the adviser role has been learning from the other members of CSD’s staff: director Rhea Roper Nedd, associate director Keiwana Perryman, coordinator of sexuality and gender diversity Christa Gloster and administrative assistant Kendra Welborn. She was also able to get help from her fellow graduate assistants Danielle Walters, Wahdae Elliott and Brianna Donaldson-Morton
Ramos found student organizations have different needs and ask for different ways of support. And while it’s been a learning curve, she has been eager to meet students with what they need from her.
“I have students who are writing memoirs, who are teaching, and it's so interesting to fully get to know them,” Ramos says. “I feel at home when I'm with my students, and I try to provide them that sense of comfort and home too. I want them to feel like, ‘Okay, maybe in my classroom, there's no one that looks like me, but as soon as I step into Idania's office, she's going to get it. I don't have to explain the Latinx jokes or the microaggressions, she's just going to get it.’”
Ramos thinks it’s important to have the CSD on campus as well as the different multicultural and affinity student groups.
She mentions that with so much diversity in the Latinx community, it’s important to have that reflected in the campus community. While TU makes progress toward that goal, these organizations help show students they are not alone.
“We deserve more,” Ramos says. “Providing a space for these students is essential. Feeling like an outsider [stinks]. And if you’re able to find a group of people that makes you feel safe, heard and understood, you can better navigate the difficulties that college [involves].”