Photo By Terrance Bell | Staff Sgt. Carlos Ramirez, 508th Transportation Company, 266th Quartermaster...... read more read more
PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. (June 22, 2017) -- Mariah Ramirez has attended eight schools in three states and one foreign country, lost nearly half of her credits due to different state educational standards, went through a period of depression as a result, then rebounded from it all to march across the stage Saturday to receive her diploma.
Sound familiar?
To military family members, relocation is an accepted fact of life. They brace themselves for the various headaches that may accompany them, deal with hiccups and heartache the best way possible, and keep marching on.
And when they have triumphed over adversity, celebrations are in order. That was no doubt the mood of Staff Sgt. Carlos Ramirez and his family as Mariah marched across the stage to receive her diploma Saturday during Prince George High School’s 64th Annual Commencement Exercises at the school athletic field. SSG Ramirez was beaming about his daughter’s achievement.
“I feel very proud and honored to actually see her graduate from high school,” said the Soldier assigned to the 508th Transportation Company, 266th Quartermaster Battalion. “Now she’s going to progress to her next step – she’s already enrolled – at the University of Texas-San Antonio.”
Mariah, 18 years old and excited about her future prospects, was not all that elated when she transferred to PGHS from a Fort Hood, Texas, area school two years ago. That’s when she learned that a number of college credits she earned in Texas would not be transferred to Virginia public schools. Judging by her wide smile, it is ancient history.
“Yes, I was very depressed,” she recalled, “but look at me now – I’m going to the University of Texas-San Antonio to become a labor and delivery doctor, so it all goes well.”
Although the sweet taste of success can overshadow any hardships along the way, SSG Ramirez said it was a trying time.
“Emotionally, it was a lot of stress in the household,” he said. “She went through a lot of depression and showed anger toward the school district for not crediting her for the courses she took. So, we just kept supporting her at home, kept pushing her forward, tried to keep her motivated and got her help by talking to the counselors and the school board.”
For the most part, Mariah Ramirez’ story could be played out time-and-time again among PGHS’s 1,400 enrolled students, 40 percent of whom are military affiliated.
Brandon Baker, son of 1st Sgt. Anthony and Audria Rausch, experienced some of the same problems as Ramirez but to a lesser extent. Although the road was rough at times, he said, resiliency and a support network of friends from all over helped to see him through.
“If you’re military, you’re back and forth,” said the graduate, who arrived at PGHS during his junior year. “The good thing is, you may leave your friends at one place but you may end up meeting back with them some day. I was lucky enough to have a lot of friends to come here as well.”
Baker is scheduled to attend Northeast Texas College and plans to join the U.S. Army Reserve.
Erin Fogg, daughter of Brig. Gen. Rodney and Janie Fogg, also said her PGHS landing was made softer by an almost built-in military welcoming committee. It did not hurt, considering she transferred to PGHS at the beginning of her senior year.
“I thought it was going be a lot worse than it actually was,” said the veteran of 12 schools. “They welcomed me to this school with warm hearts and that made the transition really easy.”
Fogg was among 40 honor graduates and has plans to attend Longwood University as an art major.
First Sgt. Sompaul Vorapanich-Pham, assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., attended the graduation event in his dress uniform to see his daughter Lysette receive her diploma. Without mentioning she had a tough transition at Prince George, he said her inner strength and her military upbringing is what allowed her success.
“I’m definitely impressed with her achievements, especially with having to uproot many times due to PCSing,” he said. “Due to her character, she was able to overcome those obstacles and progress from them. I think she has been able to attain achievements that others may not have been able to because of maturity level has expanded so much quicker.”
Lysette’s mom Alma Vega said her daughter’s freshmen-year enrollment at PGHS was her toughest transition.
“Prior to coming here, we were at Fort Knox and she loved it there,” she said. “It broke my heart pulling her away from there and having to move to a completely different place. It was a struggle, but I’m extremely proud of her and excited for her to go to college.”
Lysette will attend the University of Oklahoma in the fall.
Bre-Anna Johnson, daughter of a retired military member, was not subjected to the various relocations that many active duty military family members endure. She has spent the majority of her life in this area and was elated to finish up and move on to the next phase of her life.
“I’m really excited,” said the honor graduate and daughter of retired Sgt. 1st Class Randy and Dionne Johnson. “I’m finally done with my high school career, and I can move on to my college career.”
For SFC Johnson, who retired 16 years ago, sparing his youngest from the rigors of active duty made for a better high school experience.
“I’m glad she didn’t have to go through it,” he said. “She was grounded here and didn’t have to move too much. Anytime you take kids from one school and move them to the next, they have to start all over making friends. She’s had good friends around her and she grew up with them in school. That makes a difference.”
For Bre-Anna, the stability she enjoyed during her high school years will give way to a new environment of prospects and possibilities -- the beginning of eight years of schooling at Virginia Tech to become a veterinarian.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2017 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 239190 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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