In Ramon Resa’s public appearances and keynote speeches, his blogs (including Huffington Post), and his book, he has educated, inspired, and informed parents and children, educators, counselors, medical professionals, and business groups across the country.

Besides being a dedicated education advocate, Ramon is passionate about children’s health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and premature heart health problems, and the dangers of stress and over-programmed lifestyles.

He is also active in community and service organizations such as Rotary and was dubbed “a one-man tornado” for helping to raise more than $100,000 to buy new uniforms for the Porterville high-school band.

He is living proof of how perseverance, resilience, hope, and education can give meaning to a life, and give life to our communities.

He never dreamed of becoming a doctor, or even of attending college, until his elementary school teachers opened his eyes to the idea of getting an education.

Even his grandparents tried to kill his dream, insisting that he should get a factory job to pay them back for taking him in. And he had to pay for his college and even medical school education by going back into the fields to work during vacations and summer breaks.

After finishing medical school, he returned to the Central Valley and opened a private practice in the small town of Porterville.

Many of his patients are poor and underserved children much like the child he was.

“I see myself in the children who come from farmworker families,” he says. “I want to be a role model for them – someone who cares for their minds and spirits as well as their bodies.”

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The Story of Ramon Resa, MD

At age 3, Ramon Resa was put to work picking cotton and oranges in the fields of Central California. Today, he is a successful pediatrician. After completing medical school, he returned to the same rural area where he grew up. For the past 20 years, he has been treating poor and underserved children much like the child he was.

Out of the Fields: My Journey from Farmworker Boy to Pediatrician tells the inspiring and poignant story of how Ramon struggled to achieve his dream of becoming a doctor.

Abandoned by his single mother, who had 5 children before she turned 20, and one of a family of 15, he grew up in an environment of poverty, violence, physical and sexual abuse, alcoholism, and total disregard for education

Ramon’s often lonely and frustrating struggle began in elementary school, when his teachers awakened him to the dream of getting an education.

From that day on, he had to face and overcome low self-esteem, a speech impediment, recurring depression, racism and prejudice, and counselors who tried to push him into wood-shop instead of college prep courses. Even his grandparents tried to kill his dream, insisting that he should get a factory job and pay them back for taking him in.

But Ramon triumphed, armed only with a stubborn belief in himself, the refusal to admit that the odds were stacked against him, and, starting in college, the love and support of his college sweetheart Debbie, who has been his wife for more than 30 years.

Ramon speaks from the heart to any reader -- of any age! -- who has ever dreamed of creating a better tomorrow but is afraid of failure. His story embodies these important life lessons…

• Achieving the “impossible” through resilience, optimism, and persistence
• Why education needs to be a lifelong goal
• How to inspire others to overcome adversity and live out their dreams

Out of the Fields speaks to many audiences, including…

• Every parent who cares about his or her children’s future
• Students, teachers, counselors, and educators at every level
• Doctors, psychologists, social workers, and professionals, but especially those who work with the poor, minorities, and the underserved
• Business, social, professional, religious, and other groups that believe in mentoring young people to achieve their best

Ramon Resa is living proof of his message to readers and audiences everywhere…

“Education empowers you to fulfill your dreams – no matter what obstacles you face.”

Memoir Excerpts

• Picking Cotton
  At Age 3, Ramon Resa Becomes A Farmworker Boy
• Ramon Resa’s Best Friend’s House Has Hot Water And Full Refrigerator -
  He Lives Without Either At His Grandparents
• Two Worlds At School: “No Spanish Allowed,”
  So Ramon Resa Struggles To Learn English…
  While His Family Only Speaks Spanish At Home...
• Ramon Resa’s Classmates Bully Him Because He Stutters…
  He Experiences Intense Shame When Called On...
• Ramon Resa Feels Inferior To His Anglo Classmates Even Though He’s A Better Student…
  He Notices All TV Characters Are White

See more excerpts.