It took longer than he hoped and included military tours in war-torn countries, but Ruben Ramirez found his path at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. On May 19, that journey will lead him down the graduation aisle to receive his master’s degree in English at age 31.
From there, it appears onward and upward, first toward completing a Ph.D., and then perhaps becoming a university professor — following in the footsteps of the faculty who helped unlock his potential.
Ramirez’s upcoming milestone is a testament to overcoming tough challenges through perseverance and self-determination. Born and raised in South San Antonio, Ramirez grew up without a lot of structure. School was there but not necessarily encouraged.
“It was more about staying close as a family and surviving,” Ramirez recalls.
At 18, Ramirez, eager to chart a new path, enrolled in the U.S. Army. He went to Fort Benning, Georgia, for basic training before being deployed to South Korea and then Afghanistan.
Military life brought structure — perhaps too much of it. Ramirez was told what to wear, eat, and do while serving in the infantry during a conflict he did not fully understand or feel connected to. He left Afghanistan and active duty feeling angry and like a “broken shell.”
“I was very lost,” he admits.
Deep down, Ramirez seemed to know education would be a lifeline. His first attempt, at another public Texas university, lasted a week. He also briefly tried culinary school during a 1.5-year stretch out West with Army friends.
Still, he felt adrift, and finally decided it was time to give home—and college—another chance.
Ramirez arrived on the A&M-San Antonio campus in 2018 with an associate degree from Palo Alto Community College, an achievement in its own right given the challenges he had faced.
Like many at A&M-San Antonio, he was and remains a trailblazer among his family for seeking higher education. He had a later start than the typical freshman and had to overcome a bout of “imposter syndrome” until he realized he belonged. Within the English department, Ramirez found what he had been missing as a youth and in the military: a true sense of community. These were people who valued self-expression and embracing who you are.
Faculty members and mentors guided Ramirez to learn more about his Chicano background and how to best share his story and experiences. He not only learned academically but also personally. He began taking better care of himself, becoming vegan and attending therapy to address ill feelings festering since he was a child.
When, as a reservist, he was deployed to Syria, Ramirez was a changed man. The assignment postponed his undergraduate studies, but the promise of graduating motivated him to get through yet another trying period. He kept up his studies overseas, refusing to fall behind.
In 2024, Ramirez earned his bachelor’s degree at A&M-San Antonio in English and enrolled directly into the University’s graduate program. He was determined not to lose any more time. He found purpose studying culturally relevant literature and served as a graduate research assistant with the Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva, which amplifies the work of Chicanx and Indigenous artists who adapt Shakespeare to reflect the histories and lived realities of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands.
He will continue his Chicano studies through a scholarship to the University of California, Santa Barbara in a Ph.D. program. From there, Ramirez hopes to return to San Antonio to become a university professor and shape young lives.
“I want to come back and show young Chicanos and Chicanas that they can achieve their dreams and have a great life if they work hard and don’t give up,” he says.