Photo By Terrance Bell | Ramona J. Walker, daughter of retired colonel and current Fort Lee employee Dr. James...... read more read more
FORT LEE, Va. (June 26, 2017) -- “Nothing ventured nothing gained” is how Ramona Walker ends her emails but it also best describes her passionate pursuit for learning and travel.
The 28-year-old daughter of retired Army colonel and current installation employee Dr. James and Francie Walker, she has studied, lived and worked in at least three countries since graduating high school in 2007. Her aspiration is rooted in a well-traveled childhood as a military family member, she said.
“People ask me, ‘Why do you travel so much?’ or ‘Why are you so interested in different cultures?’” she said. “I really do attribute that to my upbringing as a child in a military family. Every two to three years, we would move to a new place. As a child in the beginning, it was hard to leave friends, but I started to look forward to it, and I always started to get that itch to move every two or three years, to experience something new, to meet new people or to have a new adventure.
“Growing up in that manner has really motivated me to continue that as an adult, and for that reason, I’m still interested in learning about different cultures.”
As a military family member, Walker lived in New Jersey; South Carolina; Hampton; Woodbridge; Hawaii and Fort Lee. She attended five different schools before graduating in 2007 from Thomas Dale High School in Chesterfield County.
Walker went on to study at the University of Virginia, earning an undergraduate degree in Spanish and a master’s degree in elementary education (pre-K – 12) with an English for speakers of other languages endorsement (pre-k-12). She also studied abroad in England (at prestigious Cambridge University) and Valencia, Spain.
After college, Walker moved to Guatemala because she “wanted to teach in a Spanish-speaking country.” She later went on to teach in Petersburg and Chesterfield County. Last September, she moved to Madrid, Spain, where she teaches English and other subjects at a suburban bi-lingual high school.
With various educational and teaching experiences under her belt, she learned along the way keeping an open mind is a facilitator for further learning.
“Just the willingness to learn from someone else or from a new place; not to be afraid to try something new; and to want to explore,” she said. “Something else that has really helped is – although I haven’t been in the same place for the past 10 years – I have maintained really good friendships that have transcended time and travel. It’s nice to have those people you can always talk to no matter where you are.”
Although a well-traveled military upbringing prepared her for the quests she currently pursues, it was not always easy to just pack up and go. As she pointed out, one tends to leave something of themselves at every stop.
“Although I loved and benefited from moving to new places, it was always hard to leave those places,” she said. “I often felt that, once I got the swing of things or adapted, it was time to go. Leaving friends was always hard and starting in a new place wasn’t always easy.”
Additionally, she said, it is easy to assume everyone has the same background as you.
“You just have to realize that your experience is different from someone else’s,” said Walker. “Sometimes you move to places you meet people who have been together for their entire lives, and you have to break into that circle. Sometimes that is hard, but it ends up turning out for the best in the long run. It allows you to make friends with so many circles and learn how to navigate through different situations.”
The coping skills she has developed over the years has prepared Walker for life in Madrid, a diverse metropolis of more than 3 million people. There, she has immersed herself in Spanish culture and learning a language she fell in love with after watching the movie “Selena.”
“I’m living my dream,” she said. “I always wanted to live for an extended period of time in a Spanish-speaking country. It’s always been a dream of mine . It’s surreal and I don’t take it for granted. I feel I’m very blessed to be able to do this and to see all the things I have been able to see at this time in my life.”
Walker is scheduled to return home this summer. She said she will continue on a path of learning in a way that is challenging.
“I have a growth mindset,” she said. “For me, staying stagnant or complacent isn’t something I like to do. I love education, I love the Spanish language and I would love to do something in the states – not necessarily always in the classroom – but outside of the classroom where I combine those passions of mine.
“I’m open, willing and researching some new things I can start or become a part of. We will see.”
Definitely said in the spirit of “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Or in Spanish, El que no se arriesga, no pasa la mar.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2017 12:15 |
| Story ID: | 239192 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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