Tiger Heritage Spotlight: Dr. Rachel Ramirez BS ’98 Biology
What led you to RIT?
I loved RIT when I visited the campus. The technology, opportunities for the future, the robust curriculum were up in my top reasons.
What about college were you least prepared?
The quarter system took a bit to get used to. But once I knew how to study for the shorter intervals, I loved it.
What were your favorite classes and why?
I loved my 3rd and 4th year classes (molecular bio, ecology, human anatomy, medical botany, women in literature among others) The teachers were amazing, so engaging and I learned so much.
Who influenced you most during your time at RIT?
Dr. Douthwright, Dr. Seischab, Dr. Doolittle were my favorite mentors. My friends kept me going and made life fun, but the faculty helped me reach my full potential.
What advice would you offer current RIT students?
Focus, study, and take the interesting classes. Make the most of what the faculty have to offer, whether it’s research or other projects, dive in! But don’t forget to live a little. It’s all about balance. There is so much growth during the years of college for most young people. It’s where you begin to hone your personality and find who you are. Use the time wisely because you won’t get the chance again. Stay after class to chat with your teachers. Get to know them. They are there for you!.
What is your proudest accomplishment and the highlight of your career/life?
- Career: becoming a physician and being able to teach medicine to young students, also being part of my patients’ lives
- Life: my children. They are my loves. Watching them grow into amazing humans brings me such joy
My proudest personal accomplishment at RIT?
- Graduating with honors
- Acquiring a variety of summer opportunities that were suggested to me by faculty (research in Colorado, mentoring high school Native American students to encourage STEM paths, working at a research lab part time until graduation)
- Getting good with computers and microscopes. I was more prepared for medical school than many of my classmates when it came to labs/micro/computer work.
What is something about Native American heritage you would like others to know?
I came from very humble beginnings and at times, poverty. I wondered how I would be able to afford college. But one TA told me after class that if I kept up my grades and worked hard, college would be taken care of. The Indian Health Service gave me a scholarship that paid for my sophomore to senior years RIT. I am so grateful that I stayed focused and worked hard to earn IHS's support.
Tell us more about how the Native American community supported you through medical school and how you returned in service to that community.
I worked hard to secure the IHS scholarship. In turn, IHS paid for all of my tuition and even a monthly stipend from RIT through to Emory University (medical school). I worked for the Winnebago Tribe in NE Nebraska after I completed my internal medicine residency. I was there for four years as a primary care doctor. I loved every moment of my time caring for the Native community.
Fun Fact(s) about you:
- I love music and go to as many concerts as my time and my age will allow. Indie/alternative and jam bands are my top genres
- I enjoy “glamping” with friends and family, especially around music festivals
- I learned how to crochet from my roommate at RIT and I continue to make things here and there for family and friends. I can still do beadwork that I learned from my youth while in school on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. I decorated my stethoscope with beadwork a two summers ago.
- I love to cook and bake, my favorite meal to make from scratch is the typical Thanksgiving meal
- I’m good with computers and am the “go to person” in my department. I have RIT to thank for my computer skills.