Last January, former Alpha Psi Lambda member and Ohio State alumna, Ramona Reyes, was unanimously appointed by the Columbus City Schools Board of Education to fill the unexpired term of W. Carlton Weddington. Weddington was recently elected to the Ohio House of Representatives this past November (to see Reyes' recent feature in ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? please visit http://quepasa.osu.edu/issues/wi09/w2.html).
A native of Weslaco, Texas, Reyes is a great example of an individual who came to Ohio State from a migrant family in a small town, and developed herself through education and community involvement. Reyes holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The Ohio State University and has been employed by Nationwide Insurance for 17 years. She is also the President of the Hispanic Chamber of Columbus, whose mission is to promote and facilitate the success of Hispanic businesses in central Ohio.
Reyes’ background provides her with knowledge, experience and empathy on issues affecting Latin@s, making her a good candidate to represent the interests of Latin@s struggling to become integrated into mainstream America. After 22 years as a leader and strong advocate for children, volunteering for her local school district seemed the next logical step for Reyes. “My biggest motivation as a school board member is the opportunity to positively impact the communities we serve. We are empowered to affect the educational future of all students, regardless of background, ethnicity and socioeconomic level,” Reyes said. “I am pleasantly surprised by the impact the appointment of a Latin@ to the school board has made in our community and I look forward to facing the tough challenges of fulfilling the duties of the office.”
During her appointment, Reyes plans to support initiatives put in place by the school board to meet a 90 percent graduation rate by 2012. “Of particular importance to me and to the entire school board is identifying non-traditional ways to get parents more involved in their children’s educational development,” she said. According to Reyes, the district currently serves 54,000 students and has a significant population of students with special needs and students who speak English as a second language. “As a board member I plan to pursue the appropriate venues that will provide opportunities for families to participate actively and responsibly,” she emphasized. |
