Alumni Spotlight
True Class: Blanca Ramirez Pablo, ’22
Family’s medical issues, health care in her native Guatemala convinced this English High student to go into medicine
Three years ago, Blanca Ramirez Pablo watched as her grandmother died at home due to a lack of proper medical care in their poor Guatemalan village. Shortly after, the family panicked when her brother suffered epileptic fits that were only diagnosed after traveling for hours to the capital for medical help.
These traumatic events helped Blanca, English High Class of 2022, decide what she wants to do with the rest of her life.
Her family is among the 1.5 million Guatemalans now living in the U. S. Despite the perilous journey and risk of losing their lives, they’re seeking increased opportunities, work, family reunification, and the ability to support loved ones back home. They’re escaping political instability, social violence, natural disasters, poor health care and education. Guatemala has the second highest poverty rate in the Americas, and most residents only finish an elementary education.
A Very Long Journey
Blanca describes her family’s journey: “No matter where we go or what we do, health issues will always be present. We renounced our culture, our language, our people in search of better health care. We walked paths that were not ours. We forgot how to breathe in the vastness of life. Instead, we hid. No more! I am tired of running and tired of hiding. I will become part of the healthcare field. Then I can proudly claim my heritage. A road will be built where escape and hiding will not be necessary for me and for others. I promise, I will breathe again.” She was recently accepted at Boston University.
Sage Marsters heads the EHS Alumni & Friends Tutoring Center that recruits, trains and coordinates tutors who support learning in classrooms and work one-on-one with students on college application essays and coursework. She loves Blanca:
“She learned to speak and write in English here, and has taken Advanced Placement courses as a senior. She is trilingual, speaking Mam (an indigenous Mayan language), Spanish and English. She is a reader, writes poetry and is fascinated by medicine and is committed to bringing quality health care to all.”
Michael Thomas, EHS ’67, President/CEO of the English High School Association, says,”Early on, Blanca did not speak out initially due to her language insecurity. She now commands the room with few words. She conveys indigenous culture through art and poetry. Coupled with her aptitude for STEM, she has become a well-rounded critical thinker, the goal of education itself. Her awards in Math demonstrate the depth of her aptitude. She also has had perfect attendance for three years.
The ultimate example of her maturity came outside of school. During one talk, Blanca described the despair of being evicted from her apartment due to family COVID issues. With imperfect English, she stepped up for her family and researched and found housing for them while not missing a beat at school. In conversations, one can feel her steely determination despite her diminutive stature. Blanca is another sterling example of a non-exam, Boston high school student. 36% of EHS students are English language learners and 70% are economically disadvantaged.
Blanca is excited about her acceptance to Boston University, offering credit to her EHS teachers:
“Ms. Dos Anjos was my English teacher in my second year. When I entered her class, I never thought I would come out speaking and understanding English. The organization, professionalism and strictness of Ms. Dos Anjos reminded me of my teachers in Guatemala and made me feel that I could live again. Ms. Martinez, my mentor since I came to EHS, supported me on my goals and made me believe in myself.”
Speaking of future plans, Blanca smiles: “I will become part of the healthcare field no matter how difficult it is. Through the EHS Pathways program, I decided to study Health Assisting and obtained a basic understanding of medicine.”
Blanca adds, “The EHS staff offers many opportunities to explore careers, gain experience, get a job or an internship. What I find wonderful is the number of people who are there to help the student. My first year, Pathways helped me with my resume, while helping me find health care internships. The Tutoring Center is a place where the power of words and voice matter. The teachers are great. Thanks to my math teacher, Ms. Martinez. And I was able to create my own club, Sociedad Unida, that is fundraising for a program in Guatemala for people with disabilities.”
Joining Blanca as co-master of ceremonies at the October 1 Gala will be 2021 EHS alumnus Thomas Thermidor, a freshman at Babson College and the youngest English High School Association Board member.
