Photo Courtesy of RamonRising.Film
Motivation & Inspiration: No matter age, income level or ethnicity, audiences who learn of Dr. Resa’s story are inspired. They’ll likely walk away convinced that since he was able to overcome the dire circumstances in his life, they too can overcome the difficult challenges they face.
Diversity, Inclusion & Social Awareness: Dr. Resa’s story convincingly debunks negative stereotypes and myths about immigrants, people of color, the poor, and the underserved members of our society. Attendees gain insight and tools to overcome unconscious bias and walk away with a renewed personal commitment to respect and value each person’s individual human potential.
ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING AND TIMELY STORIES AUDIENCES WILL HEAR
Dr. Resa is a full-time practicing pediatrician, author, speaker and the subject of the upcoming documentary entitled RAMON RISING He speaks before corporations, non-profits, at-risk students at all levels, educators and medical professionals. Making audiences laugh and cry, his talks bring inspiration, hope and empowerment to all who hear it. Audience members take away a new certainty they too can make their lives, workplaces and communities better.
Ramon was 2 years old when given away by his mother to a farm working couple in Central Valley, California. He was raised as one of 15 children in their two-room house and grew up in severe poverty, neglect and abuse. From early childhood on, Ramon was hired out to perform back-breaking farm labor with any earnings going to his so-called guardians.
It was Ramon’s second grade teacher who explained that he didn’t have to be a farm worker for the rest of his life. She encouraged him to get a college education, mentioning that with a degree he could choose any career he wanted. Her words gave Ramon hope for the first time in his young life and he set his sights on making it to college. Ramon’s journey out of the fields was nearly cut short by staggering adversity. He had a speech impediment, suffered bouts of severe depression, faced racial discrimination in school and fierce opposition from his guardians who forbade him to go to college insisting he get a job after high school and support them.
Despite his Dickensian childhood and against all odds Ramon made it through college and medical school. When he received his license to practice medicine, Dr. Resa returned to the same area of Central Valley where he grew up and went to work as a pediatrician. For over 30 years he’s provided care for children of migrant farm working children like he once was. Dr. Resa is living proof to his young patients that they too can make a better future for themselves. His life’s a testament to the universal truth that every child, including an abandoned migrant farmworker boy with a speech impediment, no family, and zero resources has the potential to become a valuable, contributing member of our society.
Ramon Resa, MD is a husband and father who lives with his wife of 40 years, Debbie, who is an artist. They have two grown children: Marina (a therapist and an actress in Hollywood) and Josh (a Stanford, UCSF and Brown University graduate who is currently a pediatric oncologist at Sloan Kettering). Ramon is a passionate golfer and enjoys vacationing at his second home in New Mexico.
Ramon’s is the story of human potential, the unique personal potential that exists within us independently from any external source. You aren’t limited by your age, your health, your relationships, or your finances nearly as much as your unwillingness to dream and persist … Ramon is a unique and gifted individual with an important place in history. His legacy will be felt for many generations, maybe even forever.
JIM CATHCART – Author, The Acorn Principle
INSPIRATION TO DARE DREAM OF A BETTER LIFE
- Inspire first-generation students of all backgrounds to dare dream of a better life.
- Convincingly debunk negative myths and stereotypes.
- Remind and inspire all members of society, including parents, educators, teachers and staff to value the human potential of all no matter background or income level.
- Demonstrate all may overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS HIGHLIGHTING LATINO & HISPANIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY
The most important lesson is to learn not allow anyone to label you as disadvantaged if you come from poverty, broken homes or have faced extraordinary challenges. View them as your advantage and know that because of your pain and suffering, because of your hardships, because of your poverty you have the strength, the grit, the fortitude, the resiliency, the kindness, the compassion and the empathy to realize your goal much greater than others who have never experienced those and that leads to your greatness. So own it, OWN it and move from being the victim to be the visionary.
RAUL RUIZ, MD – U.S. Congressman
SOCIAL RELEVANCE
DR. RESA’S STORY INTERSECTS SOCIETAL ISSUES OF TODAY
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
- The STEM workforce overall is no more diverse now than it was 14 years ago. Hispanics, who make up 15% of the overall labor force hold 7% of jobs in STEM fields. Blacks make up 11% of the workforce yet only hold 6% of STEM jobs.
- Only 2% or 10 Fortune500 CEOs are of Hispanic heritage and more than 82% of Fortune 1000 companies still have no Hispanic board members.
- Evidence suggests that having more gender and racial diversity in the boardroom is good for business. A recent study found a move from no women leaders to 30 percent representation was associated with a 15% jump in profit.
EDUCATION
- Inequities for minorities and low-income students exist at all levels of education. Black and Hispanic students continue to perform lower than whites and Asians on standardized tests and in STEM studies.
- Many high-achieving low-income students do not attend a selective college, even when they’re qualified.
- The least-gifted children of high-income parents graduate from college at higher rates than the most-gifted children of low-income parents.
Ramon’s story is really a human rights story. It’s about the right to have a quality education, the right to equality, the right to have access to the American Dream.
JOHN K ROTH, Edward J. Sexton Professor of Philosophy, Claremont McKenna College
EVENT CLIENTS
TALKS @ GOOGLE
DISNEY ANIMATION
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNA SAN FRANCISCO, MEDICAL SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNA IRVINE, MEDICAL SCHOOL
NATIONAL MIGRANT & SEASONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE DIRECTORS OF MIGRANT EDUCATION
INTERSTATE MIGRANT EDUCATION COUNCIL
CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF LATINO SUPERINTENDENTS & ADMINISTRATORS
MIGRANT EDUCATION – CALIFORNIA, PENNSYLVANIA, MISSISSIPPI, ARKANSAS
ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER ASSOCIATION
TULARE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
SANTA CLARA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
PEBBLE BEACH AUTHORS & IDEAS FESTIVAL
SONOMA VALLEY AUTHORS FESTIVAL
NMABE 45TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
CESAR CHAVEZ LEGACY AWARDS GALA 2019
KEY ENDORSEMENTS
RAUL RUIZ, MD– CONGRESSMAN
TONY CARDENAS –CONGRESSMAN
HENRY CUELLAR – CONGRESSMAN
SHARON QUIRK-SILVA –CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYWOMAN
JOSE MEDINA –CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMAN
ANNA CABALLERO – CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYWOMAN
EDUARDO GARCIA –CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMAN
BLANCA E. RUBIO –CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYWOMAN
MAX ESPINOZA – GATES FOUNDATION
ESTEBAN G. BURCHARD, MD, MPH–UCSF BIOENGINEERING
FERNANDO S. MENDOZA, MD–ASSOCIATE DEAN OF MINORITY ADVISING, PROFESSOR OF PEDIATRICS, STANFORD
KATHERINE A. FLORES, MD– DIRECTOR LATINO CENTER FOR MEDICAL EDUCATION & RESEARCH UCSF
JOHN K. ROTH –CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
JOHN J. PITNEY JR. – CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE
DR. LISA RAMIREZ – DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY USDE
DAN LOWENSTEIN, MD– EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR PROVOST UCSF
CHARLES P. VEGA, MD–DIRECTOR, UC IRVINE MEDICAL EDUCATION