At first meeting, Ruben Ramirez is thoughtful and soft-spoken, but beneath that quiet exterior lies a deeper layer of focus and determination.
In May, Ramirez simultaneously earned his high school diploma from Tyler ISD and graduated magna cum laude from Tyler Junior College with an Associate of Science degree in science. He was also a member of TJC’s Alpha Omicron Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
This fall, he will attend Baylor University as TJC’s first early college graduate to earn the Baylor Bound scholarship.
Since 1989, TJC and Baylor have had an agreement in which one TJC honor graduate per year can transfer to Baylor on a full, two-year scholarship.
Ramirez said Baylor was always his first choice.
“I go to Waco often, and I would always drive past the campus and think, ‘I really want to go there,’” he said. “I researched their majors and student life and looked around on their social media.”
He’s aiming for a career in healthcare.
“I plan to focus on nursing right now, and then possibly spend some time as a traveling nurse and eventually work my way up to being an anesthesiologist,” he said. “Almost all of my family works in a hospital, so I’ve always heard about all types of jobs there. My mom talked to me about anesthesiology, so that motived me to do it. It’s also truly interesting and not something that a lot of people think about. It’s so fascinating to me.”
Ramirez isn’t the first in his family to attend early college and TJC.
“My sister Cecilia was the first to graduate from early college in 2019, so I was really influenced by her,” he said. “She would tell me all the great things about early college and TJC, so that really motivated me to start college early. She is now at UT Tyler studying computer science.”
Ramirez enjoyed his TJC experience.
“My freshman and sophomore years were at early college high school and virtual classes, but junior and senior years were on the TJC campus Mondays and Wednesdays,” he said. “You get to really familiarize yourself with the campus. I always felt reassured, and the professors and the way they would teach definitely influenced me.”
One of his favorite TJC memories involved a simple walk across campus.
“One time, I was walking from the Pirtle building and I saw the different clubs setting up tents, and there was a group of students handing out hot chocolate,” he said. “I just thought that was something different. Those are the things I’ll remember. Just walking to class with a little cup of hot chocolate and being with my friends. “
Ramirez recently attended Baylor’s freshman orientation, known as Baylor Line Camp, so he’s one step closer to his dream school.
“It was truly different from what I’ve seen at TJC or in high school,” he said. “It was really exciting. TJC sets you up and has you prepared. All of my classes from TJC transferred, so I’m actually going to Baylor a year ahead and I’ll be on track to graduate in 2027.”
Asked if he has any advice for future students, Ramirez said, “Take chances. Through my years in early college and TJC, I took a lot of chances. I skipped out on fun things to just focus on school. In the end, it’s going to be worth it. So, my advice would be just to go for it. It may be scary at first, but it’s worth it. I’ve gotten a lot of benefits from it. This was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”