Ronaldo Mateo-Ramirez: Paying it forward through service

There is nothing more fruitful than the power of a ripple of hope, and Ronaldo Mateo-Ramirez’s story is the perfect example. When Ronaldo was in high school, he had a City Year mentor who helped him at school. Experiencing the support his mentor gave him, he graduated high school and was inspired to join City Year so that he too could provide the same support for students! Read below to learn more about how Ronaldo’s City Year mentor supported him and how he has inspired his students!

How did your City Year mentor help you with academics and/or your career?

My City Year mentor helped me in math, English and science. He made the topics much easier to understand during my high school years. Fortunately, he wanted me to succeed in every way, which included hearing me out when I felt down emotionally. Of course, as a human, he was shy, but he never doubted my work ethic, and he believed I could achieve anything.”

I’ll never forget the memories we’ve had. My freshman year of high school was stressful, but with my City Year’s help, I was able to achieve academic progress.

As a City Year Los Angeles AmeriCorps member, can you tell us about a student you’ve helped and how?

Yes, a student I’ve recently helped was one the students I work one-on-one with. His name is Joel*, a very humble kid, energetic and very eager to complete any task. As a mentor, it is my job to have students like Joel* succeed because he was a boy who recently migrated from El Salvador.

Just being able to be by his side is life-changing for me. Because of what I’ve gone through in my past, I can relate to him, which is why I chose and love to serve at City Year.

*Student’s name changed for privacy.

Are you inspired by Ronaldo’s story? Join City Year and leave your mark by applying now!